Dawn's Sonata
by MangaMan3000
Summary: Post Radiant Dawn. Another rebellion group emerges in Tellius, bringing the continent to war once again. The heroes must take up arms once again and bring in a new age of peace. Rated M for gore, torture, and language. ON HIATUS RIGHT NOW.
1. Prologue: Shifting Tides

Prologue: Shifting Tides

The night sky was black around Tellius. A thick fog encased all of the countries in its cold and chilling embrace, blinding the eyes of anyone who tried to traverse through it. The ground was damp, and the moon did very little to illuminate the area. Danger was imminent in all directions.

But there were some people that were willing to try; even the thickest fog could not hold them from their responsibilities.

From out of nowhere, a lantern with a burning flame emerged from the darkness, cutting through the heavy fog. The person waved the lantern around back and forth to clear the path of the thick vapors. For a moment, the road ahead was clear.

The individual was male, and from what was visible, he was a beorc. His attire consisted of armor, a shield, a lance, and the lantern, suggesting that he was some type of soldier. Rank and class were unknown, nor was the country he served.

"This way," he called from behind his shoulder.

At his command, approximately fifteen or so men followed as he led the way. They were all soldiers of different types and stature; each wore different clothing that bore crests of the beorc countries of Tellius. The group stopped when they saw the lantern come to a halt. The guide swung the light a few more times to rid the air of the fog and continued to march, the soldiers following behind him.

"We're almost there. Just a few more paces," said the guide to the others. He glanced at the lantern and noticed that the flame inside was beginning to fade. Not wasting a second, the guide reached into his satchel and took out a bottle of oil, filling the lantern with the contents. The flame was now brighter than ever, and the group continued their long march.

"We're here!" announced the guide, forcing the squadron to stop. In front of him was a door made of wood and a metal knob, both in reasonably terrible condition. The walls holding it together oozed green mold, which was made worse due to the fog.

The guide inwardly cringed at the sight, but did not make any other movements. Mustering up all of his courage, the man grabbed the doorknob and turned it slightly until he heard a click. He gently pushed the door open and entered, gesturing for the others to follow. Once everyone was inside, the door slammed shut, and the fog obscured it from the world's view.

-.-.-.-.-

The room was dimly lit and revealed very little of what was inside. In the center stood a mysterious figure whose appearance was shrouded in shadows; the only clear object that was able to be seen were the person's rectangular glasses.

"Any minute now," said the man casually. He walked over to a counter and opened a drawer, searching for what he was looking for. After rummaging through various knick-knacks, the man took out a pair of gloves and put them on.

The man gazed at the counter as he shut the drawer. On top of it were numerous empty jars that went all across the wall. On the wall were cabinets of the same thing, empty jars that filled the entire piece. In the center of the room was an operating table that was recently cleaned and polished, ready for another life-saving operation.

But there was one oddity inside the room that did not seem to fit. On the left wall of the room stood something that did not blend with the décor (if there was any). It was an upright piano that was kept in the same pristine condition as his operating table. How he managed to get such a heavy object inside was anyone's guess.

The man gazed at the instrument with complete bliss in his eyes. He imagined what lovely sound he was going to play when his work was done. These thoughts made him more impatient than he already was, but he managed to cope with the wait. Then, as if on cue, a knock was heard at the door, disrupting the man from his thoughts.

"It's open," he said to the person outside. The door creaked open and large man entered carrying a heavy burlap sack with him. The person was heavily armored, but nothing else was noticeable due to the lack of lighting.

"Ah, finally," said the man as he walked towards the person at the door. "I was wondering where you were. I've waited for such a long time."

"Well your wait is over now," responded the second one. He presented the burlap sack to him, which he gladly took. Something seemed to be squirming inside, as if it were trying to escape.

"My, my, what a feisty one," said the first man setting it down on the table. He undid the ties that kept the sack shut and slid it down to reveal the head of a person. It was a woman with lavender eyes and dark brown hair. A cloth tied her mouth shut to muffle her screams for help.

"Ah, a cat laguz, eh?" said the man, "and a beautiful one at that." The man strode over to her and stroked her cat ears gently. "Yes, so beautiful indeed." The laguz's eyes were completely terrified as the man continued to stroke her ears.

"I hope you like this one. It wasn't easy to get her while avoiding Gallia's watch," said the armored man to the first.

"I bet it wasn't. You have my gratitude for such a fine specimen," responded the first. A grin etched onto the man's countenance, his bare teeth showing a smile of sheer brutality.

The door opened yet again and another soldier entered. The man who had brought the laguz turned to the door and greeted the soldier; it was the guide that led the group of fifteen men. The armored man nodded to the soldier and turned his attention to the first.

"The others are here. I have to go now," he said.

"Have fun then," replied the first man, who was an arch sage. The second man, a marshal in black armor, exited the room and shut the door behind him, leaving the arch sage alone with the laguz.

"Guess it's just you and me now," he said stroking the female's ears once more. Her eyes shut and her body trembled in fear as she whimpered muffled breaths. The man removed the rest of the burlap sack and revealed the woman's naked body. Her hands and feet were tied in a knot by a tight rope, making escape impossible.

The arch sage stared at the helpless woman with a smile plastered over his visage. What he was thinking was left to anyone's imagination, but all were very wrong. The man strode over to a drawer and took out various tools and cutting utensils and placed them on the counter. He took a scalpel and turned to the cat.

"Don't worry. I always take care of my subjects," he said sadistically, ". . . rarely."

-.-.-.-.-

The soldiers lined up inside the meeting room of the building. The room itself was not in a good condition by any means. The walls were chipped, floors were damaged, and the ceiling was crumbling with every minute. The entire house actually was completely dilapidated and run-down.

But the location was necessary to carry out their plans. It was the only place that was in such a bad state that not a single person dared to go near it. The nobles or any construction workers did not even tried to renovate it, so the building remained abandoned.

The door opened and in entered the same marshal, who brought the chattering inside to a complete stop. The soldiers looked behind them and faced the man. He had dark orange eyes and slicked turquoise hair. His face was very well defined and his body was draped in black armor. The marshal walked over to the front of the room and faced the soldiers.

"Are all of you here?" asked the man to the group of fifteen soldiers in a commanding tone. They all replied with a "Yes sir!"

"Good. Now, you already know why we are here," he started. "We are here to stop the madness that is plaguing the continent of Tellius; a plague known as peace!"

The soldiers cheered when the man spoke. The leader continued his speech when the excitement subsided.

"Yes, the nobles want to abolish war and all fighting. They think that they are weapons of mass destruction, but what has peace done for us? Did peace stop the raid of houses and villages from bandits? Did it prevent the genocide of countless tribes and religions? Did it ever once join people who fight for the same morals and values! No! And they want to take it all away!

"What we stand for will prove the corruption and dishonesty of the aristocrats. They think that just by signing a piece of scratch paper will stop the invasion and destruction of their country. Well we're here to prove them wrong!" Several soldiers nodded vigorously at his statement.

"Come, let us march and take every country one by one and liberate the world of this madness! Let us make a world where war is a form of peace, and a world where only the strong prevail! Let us rewrite history!"

The soldiers in the room erupted with cheers and hollers as their commander finished his speech, raising their hands and weapons in the air as they did. Every soldier had bloodlust and power in their eyes, each waiting to unleash it on the world. Their goal was set, their weapons were sharp, and the fate of Tellius was about to be twisted once again.


	2. Chapter 1: Shadows of Doubt

Chapter 1: Shadows of Doubt

Micaiah sighed as she walked down the halls of Daein Keep. The light priestess had been undergoing a fair share of stress ever since she had been crowned Queen of Daein, and today was no different. She had heard a phrase among royalties that sometimes a commoner's life was more enviable than a noble's. She could not help but agree with them, as it proved true with every passing minute.

During the seven months following Ashera's defeat, Micaiah had taken the throne to the Daein capital of Nevassa through Pelleas's abdication. Immediately, the silver-haired maiden had been working almost nonstop to help rebuild the country of Daein and the entire continent itself.

The tasks she received at first were relatively simple, but as time went on, they became harder, more time consuming, tedious, and sometimes pointless. The amount of distress she felt barely scratched the imaginary surface that people kept talking about. Micaiah knew the hardships of what being a leader was like, but those times were much simpler.

But it was necessary for the country. If she had ignored even one of the requests from her citizens, or a country meeting, or a message of a bandit raid from a local town, Tellius' recovery would have gone much slower. After all, the country was top priority over her personal affairs.

'_But what about my life?'_ Micaiah thought sadly. Ever since she had taken the roles of a ruler, there was no time for her. She felt as if the bonds with her friends grew weaker as time went on. It seemed that being royalty did not have all the benefits one would expect.

Micaiah continued to walk tranquilly down the hall in sadness, thoughts clouding her mind like a thunderstorm waiting to begin. She had not seen her friends very often, or at all, ever since that day, and she missed them greatly. The light priestess began to wonder if she was strong enough to be Daein's queen. She wondered if she had the ability to run a country, and highly doubted that ability.

"What do I do now?" she asked herself quietly. She did not know how much more stress she could take before finally exploding. It would be so much easier if she had a king by her side to relieve some of it, but she had no love interests, only fame-hungry suitors looking for bragging rights. Thankfully, they always left empty-handed.

No, there was no one for her . . . . At least, that was what she convinced herself to think.

Micaiah continued down the hall until she reached a door and came to a complete stop. She stared at the structure in thought for a minute before reaching for the knob. Hesitantly, she turned the knob, pushed the door open, and went inside for the night.

-.-.-.-.-

The moon shone brightly over the Melior, Crimea's capital. Stars shined and twinkled brilliantly over the courtyards, reflecting light off the mildew on the grass. A cool, relaxing breeze aerated through the trees, brushing the leaves very slightly as it passed. Crickets chirped their harmonic songs and filled the air with pleasant singing so that the breeze could carry it around the world.

But there was a disturbance, a strange emotion in the air, one that only those made of human flesh and bone could truly understand. It was unsureness, fear, and doubt; it clouded the minds of people, even the most noble, like a disease consumes the body.

Elincia stood atop the balcony gazing at the starlight and the waxing crescent moon above. An expression of worry was painted over her countenance and reflected through her green irises. The cause and source were yet to be known, but her heart spoke in her place.

"Is something wrong?" asked a deep voice behind her. Elincia, surprised by the sudden vocalization, turned around suddenly to see her husband Geoffrey standing by the door. The silver knight walked closer to his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter?" he asked in concern.

"I . . . I don't know . . ." said Elincia hesitantly. "I'm . . . nervous."

"About what?" he asked, worry still in his tone. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Elincia sighed, and spoke her heart. "I fear that . . . that I'm still not strong enough to rule a kingdom. What if the people still don't accept me as their queen?"

Geoffrey let out a breath and shut his azure eyes, his mind drifting into thought. It was not the first time that Elincia would feel this way, and he knew why. Some of the Crimean citizens still would not accept her as their queen despite all that she has done for them. Even after the defeat of the Order Incarnate, there were still people who were skeptical of her abilities to rule a nation. And the citizens themselves would make their voices heard in more than just speaking.

To make matters worse, criminal rate throughout the land had returned or risen after the war. It was not anything of rebellion or coup d'état status, but it still kept Crimea's Royal Knights heavy on their feet. It seemed as if the world had not changed even in the slightest.

Geoffrey snapped out of his train of thought and reopened his eyes. Calmly, he moved closer to his wife and wrapped his arms around her, setting his head close to her flowing green hair.

"You know what I think?" he said gently. "I think they're all wrong." Elincia looked up at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"The people, they're wrong about you," he answered. "They don't know what you are like. They don't know anything about you like I do."

The queen's golden yellow eyes widened in bliss and she settled her head into Geoffrey's chest. The silver knight ran a hand through her long green hair gently and lightly lifted her chin. Then, softly, they kissed.

"We'll get through this together. There is nothing that we can't handle," stated Geoffrey. Elincia looked at her husband and smiled, resting her head on his chest once again.

"Thank you." The two walked off the balcony, holding each other's hands tightly. The door shut behind them, and the queen and her husband rested for the evening.

-.-.-.-.-

Sigrun sighed as she walked down the halls of Mainal Cathedral, a worried expression on her countenance. As she paced, her head constantly shifted towards a certain room, an uneasy face still present. The room belonged to Sanaki, the Empress of Begnion. The captain of the Holy Guard turned her head back in front of her and gave another sigh as she continued to walk to her room.

"Oh, Sanaki . . ." she said quietly. It was obvious to see that she was worried about the Empress, and many people could not really blame her.

After the fall of the Goddess, the world had gone back to normal . . . or as normal as could be expected.

When the Senate revealed that Sanaki was a false apostle to the public, they were prone to believe the harsh truth. Sigrun did not think that the citizens, who had come to worship the former voice of the Goddess, could turn on her so quickly and easily; and when Sanaki had told them of Ashera and her true intentions, they became more tempestuous at the young girl.

But there were a select few citizens who had refused to believe the Senate. They believed the Empress and her words, and looked passed the corruption of the other nobles. It took a few months for said people to handle the truth, but they managed to let bygones be bygones.

These citizens, however, were indeed very few; the rest held Sanaki in resentment. They felt betrayed and mislead, thought that they were being fed lies and misgivings. They praised Ashera and thought of her as their one and only savior, not wanting to believe the cruel and twisted reality.

But they had a right to believe that; they were, after all, turned to stone and left motionless. If only they understood and saw what had happened, then maybe things might have been slightly easier. Maybe, just maybe, they would truly understand.

Sigrun walked to her room and opened the door, preparing to recline for the night. As she entered, her head turned lightly back at the room of the girl that was responsible for so much. She would have to talk with Tanith in the morning for her opinion on their current situation, but right now all that was on her mind was a good night's rest.

-.-.-.-.-

The arch sage's nimble hands lifted up the lid of the piano, revealing the black and white ivory keys. His fingers lightly touched the keys, in which the instrument resonated with a small noise. The musician smiled as he took a seat at the stool and scooted closer to the instrument, letting out a breath of joy and wonder as he stretched his fingers.

'_Ah, what sound should I play today?'_ he thought._'A minuet? A Nocturne? Étude? __Perhaps a short waltz, maybe? Oh, the choices are endless!'_ The arch sage lightly chuckled as he thought of what to perform. He finally made a decision.

"Yes, that's what I'll play."

The musician shifted his position towards the lighting for a better look at his hands and the keys. The source of illumination revealed his entire features. The arch sage had clean short brown hair, and his eyes, which were no longer covered by a pair of spectacles, were light teal and seemed to reflect the image of his beloved instrument. Black robes covered his slender body and his flesh was a tad pale, but that was due to the lack of illumination rather than being his actual skin tone.

The musician's fingers touched the keys and was about to start, but someone interrupted. Before he could begin, the door opened and in entered the marshal.

"You don't knock?" said the arch sage sarcastically to the man, his eyes still focused on his instrument.

"Do I need to?" countered the marshal in the same tone as the musician. His orange eyes scanned the room in front of him. "Well, it seems you had a lot of fun."

"Why, yes I did, though she was rather difficult to work with; the girl was quite a little screamer," said the arch sage cheerfully with a chuckle. "Now if you don't mind, you're interrupting my little recital." The marshal lightly laughed and shook his head.

"Ah, always escaping from reality with your music," he commented. His eyes continued to survey the room in front of him. The once clean and polished dark room was now completely ruined with a red paint.

The operating table in the center of the room was stained with blood that had dried. On the table lied the cat laguz the marshal had brought the arch sage earlier. What was left of it was a rotting corpse.

The eyes were gouged from their sockets; her stomach was cut open and the intestines were pulled out. The delicate feline ears were completely removed from the top of her head, leaving nothing but open wounds and rotting flesh. The jars on the counter and cabinet were now filled with the various body parts and organs. On the counter lied the surgical instruments used, caked in blood. Next to them were the scientist's rectangular glasses, the lenses also stained with the dried serum.

What lied in front of him was not the sight of an experiment, but a massacre. All that was left of the helpless cadaver was nothing but rigor mortis and decay. A few minutes passed in silence until the arch sage broke it.

"Will you be staying for my performance?" he said. "I shall be playing one of your favorite pieces."

"Really? And what would that be?" asked the marshal.

"Why, it's the one you loved to hear ever since I started living with you. It put a smile on your face every time. You always tried to make me finish the piece in under a minute, remember?"

"Oh, that one!" said the marshal with a chuckle. "Please, go ahead. It's good to reminisce of the old times." The arch sage chuckled at his statement.

"Very well."

The arch sage gently touched one of the keys and produced a sound from the instrument. His right hand then played various quavers in a moderately fast and complex rhythm. Shortly after, the left hand joined and added to the melody, playing a short staccato note quickly followed by a pair of quarter note chords. The musician then increased the tempo slightly and played a little faster.

The mood was very bright and playful, contradictory of the scenery inside. The music was quite fast and complex, but the arch sage made it look like child's play. His right hand continued to play the main melody, which ascended the keys unto a certain point, then descended and ascended again.

"You haven't lost your touch," said the marshal. "I always loved that song. What was it called again?"

"In modern society, it's called the "Minute Waltz"," replied the arch sage as he continued to play. "It's a shame, because many people think that it was coined to be played in one minute, which isn't what it's supposed to mean."

"Then why do we call it that?"

"The term was coined by a publisher who meant it to mean 'short' or 'small', but society's simple mindedness just didn't understand," he answered.

The arch sage began to slow down the tempo. The right hand continued to serve as the melody, but now played a different and slightly slower one; the left hand continued to play a quick staccato notes and short chords. The musician continued his explanation.

"As I said, people who have played the waltz try to play it in less than one minute, so they shorten it by omitting this section of the tune and play it as fast as they can. The actual waltz takes roughly two and a half minutes to perform. The name wasn't even given by the artist. In fact, the composer, Frédéric Chopin, was trying to depict a little dog chasing its tail and named the composition "Petit Chien"."

The arch sage briefly stopped when the second melody was over. Two of his fingers on the right hand played two keys right next to each other back and forth very quickly. The musician shifted the tempo and played the main theme of the composition, the left hand joining shortly after.

"But enough about music and its history. Tell me, Jeremiah, how went your speech to the soldiers?" said the arch sage.

"It was great. Everyone's ready to march out," replied the marshal named Jeremiah. "I must ask, when is your research going to be done?"

"Almost," he answered. "The process is near completion; we should be able to go within another week."

Jeremiah smiled. "Perfect. I knew I could count on you. You're right on the top of your game."

"Why thank you for such gushing praise. You're too kind." The musician's right hand touched a key near the very end of the piano and quickly descended the various keys. He slowed down and played the last measure of the composition. The left hand added one quick and final chord, ending the waltz on a very happy note.

"Ah, such a short and sweet song relieves me of life's hardships," commented the arch sage. "It will come in handy once Tellius is bathed in showers of blood and war."

"And soon, all of our hard work will pay off," added Jeremiah. "You're doing a great job. I'll see you tomorrow." The marshal turned around and opened to door to leave.

"Good night!"

The door shut behind Jeremiah as his comrade bid him farewell, leaving the arch sage alone to his thoughts. He stood up from the piano stool and shut the lid to cover the keys. He then sauntered over to the counters littered with jars and stared at the remains inside as if they were paintings at a museum.

"And they all shall return. Abominations have some use, they're easy to control once you promise something that has far eluded them their entire life. Of all specimens that walk the earth, the laguz are the easiest . . ." He smiled vilely. "And the deadliest of all."


	3. Chapter 2: Love and Pain

Chapter 2: Love and Pain

"_So, are you leaving?" asked a person in a deep voice. Micaiah turned around and saw Ike standing behind her, staring at her with an unreadable expression on his countenance. The light priestess felt nervous, but replied without hesitation._

"_Yes, I am," she answered. "Daein is my home, and I can't leave the people behind."_

_Ike nodded at Micaiah's statement when she finished speaking. His countenance softened very slightly, but was still unreadable in her eyes. _

_The vanguard carefully looked up at the restored sky and became lost in his thoughts. Micaiah looked up at him and tried to figure out what he was thinking. She let him go undisturbed for a few more moments before speaking._

"_What about you?" she asked. Ike snapped out of his train of thought and looked down at Micaiah with another unreadable expression. Still, he answered her question._

"_I'm not sure," Ike replied. "I know I'm going to go back to Crimea, but after that I don't know." His gaze seemed to shift to the north where Daein was located, though it was a bit slanted towards the eastern region._

_Ike looked back down at Micaiah, who was staring back at him with deep golden brown eyes. Neither person spoke for a short moment; both were too lost in their own thoughts and the other's eyes to even notice. This silence continued until Micaiah finally spoke._

"_Will you . . ." she started hesitantly, ". . . will you visit Daein sometime?" Ike, who was a bit startled by the change of conversation, did not immediately answer. He was somewhat hesitant to give one, but still managed regardless._

"_Perhaps," he replied. "I might be able to, but mostly not." He noted Micaiah's change in her facial expression, which turned from curious to slightly saddening. This face made Ike feel guilty about his response. "But I'll find a way. Nothing can stop me from seeing you," he added._

_Micaiah looked up at him with a mix of surprise and shock on her countenance. That look made Ike realize what he had said, and felt his face turning a bright crimson red. He tried to fight it off but failed miserably, so he looked down at the ground hoping that Micaiah did not notice. Unfortunately she did, one of the many disadvantages of being over six feet tall._

_Ike felt Micaiah's gaze upon him and scratched behind his head with one of his hands, embarrassed. The vanguard looked back slightly and saw the rest of the Greil Mercenaries snickering at his dilemma (except for Shinon). Ike ignored them and looked back at Micaiah with azure eyes._

"_No, I promise that I will see you," he said confidently._

"_Thank you," Micaiah replied. "I look forward to your visit." _

_Ike flashed a content smile, which made Micaiah blush in return. The light priestess tried to hide her countenance from Ike, but failed much like he._

_Ike just gave a short chuckle and did something that Micaiah could not foresee. He removed the headband on his head and gave it to her. The light priestess was somewhat bewildered by this gesture, but accepted the 'gift' nonetheless._

"_What is this for?" she asked looking up at him. She could see that Ike's bangs were now covering a large portion of his forehead._

"_As a memento," replied Ike. "You know, just something to remember me by if I can't visit."_

_Micaiah was awestruck at the man's generosity. Well, it was not that much of a gift, but she could not deny his thoughtfulness. The light priestess grabbed one of Ike's calloused hands with her free hand. The larger man in return accepted the gesture._

"_Thank you, Ike," said Micaiah softly. "Thank you for everything."_

_Ike smiled gently and said, "There is no need to thank me."_

_The couple shut their eyes and let nature run by them for a moment. After a few seconds, Ike reopened his eyes and, gently, pulled Micaiah into a small light hug. This act startled her at first, but then she settled down and returned his embrace._

"_Ike . . ."_

"_Micaiah . . ."_

-.-.-.-.-

"Micaiah!"

Micaiah woke up with a start at the call of her name. She scanned her room to try and find out where the voice came from. She looked to her left to see her best friend, Sothe, standing beside her bed and looking down at her with a mixture of seriousness and concern on his countenance.

The light priestess looked out the window and shielded her eyes from the incoming rays of the sun. This act told her that she had been asleep over well past noon.

"Sothe, what time is it? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" yelled Micaiah to the whisper.

"Well, you were sleeping so peacefully that I thought I might give you some extra time," said Sothe. "The three hour wait, however, was tiring for _me_."

Micaiah shot a glare at her friend, hastily got out of bed and quickly got dressed (after retreating to the bedroom's washroom). Today was a meeting regarding a senate hearing that would take place over at Begnion. The actual hearing was in five days, but she had scheduled a conference with other representatives over what bills and treaties would be discussed over at the hearing.

Micaiah did not actually attend many of the hearings. She had other concerns in Daein that required her to stay. Instead, she sent a representative, mostly Sothe, to attend and inform her of the decisions made.

The queen of Daein put on her sandals and made an unnecessary run for the door, with Sothe following behind her. However, before even placing a hand on the knob, she stopped and looked at something on the surface of her dresser. There lied Ike's headband, the gift that he gave her before leaving. This thought sent Micaiah's emotions into a downward spiral on the inside, and Sothe seemed to notice.

"You're thinking about Ike again, aren't you, Micaiah?" said Sothe in a somewhat demanding tone. The queen looked at the whisper and noticed the seriousness in his face.

"How did you know?" she asked nervously.

"You make it painfully obvious," he replied, more harshly this time. "Micaiah, I've known you for years. You can't really hide anything from me."

Micaiah looked down at the floor in sadness and defeat. It had been only seven months since Ike left Tellius. He did not give a reason, not to her nor anyone in the Greil Mercenaries. The decision was so sudden and quick.

At first, Micaiah did not know how she should feel about his departure, but now the feelings were starting to sink in. She was hurt and crushed, and she could not figure out why. The two were only friends, right? So why was she feeling these emotions of distress and hurt?

"Sothe," Micaiah started, "do you think that . . . that Ike will come back?" Sothe took in a deep breath and looked at Micaiah with a serious expression.

"Honestly, no, I don't," he answered.

"But-"

"Micaiah, listen," Sothe interrupted, "Ike is gone for good. He didn't even tell his own family that he was leaving, and he's been with them for entire time here. If he didn't have the heart to tell his family, what makes you think he actually will come back?"

Micaiah flinched at Sothe's response. The way the whisper spoke was harsh and cruel, almost as if he _wanted_ her to forget about Ike. Micaiah could only wonder whether Sothe was angry at Ike for leaving, or if he was angry at her for even thinking about the possibility that Tellius's hero would return. She began to question whether Sothe was really that trustworthy or not.

The light priestess drew herself away from these thoughts and looked at the whisper once more.

"But there still might be a chance that he will return," said Micaiah.

"Perhaps," started Sothe, "but that chance is very slim to nonexistent." He looked at Micaiah, who had an expression of sadness and hurt in her eyes. "Listen, I know you're hurt, but you have to move on. Time won't stop just for you, Micaiah."

With that being said, Sothe escorted himself out of the room and left Micaiah alone. The silver-haired light priestess turned to the door, her friend's words still lingering in her head. As she was about to leave, Micaiah grabbed the headband and held it close to her heart.

'_Ike . . . ,'_ thought Micaiah. _'Please, lend me your strength. I can't do this alone anymore.'_

Micaiah placed the headband in her pocket and walked out of the room, ready to face the trials ahead of her.

-.-.-.-.-

Tanith prepared for her daily routine in the Holy Guards. First was her daily border shift, then training the new soldiers. Her schedule had been hectic lately, but with Sigrun busy with other pressing issues in the country, she could not really complain about the stress.

Not that it mattered. Tanith always was a competent and trustworthy soldier, and she always got everything done in a timely manner. Her training methods, however, struck fear in the hearts the new recruits. Her nickname, Demon Lord, was now starting to become an understatement among them.

The seraph knight finished packing all of her essentials onto her pegasus and was about to head out for the day. Before she could, however, someone called out to her.

"Tanith!" called a female voice. The seraph knight turned around and saw Sigrun walking up to her.

"Good afternoon, Sigrun," greeted Tanith to her long-time comrade. "How has your day been going?"

"Fair," Sigrun replied. "I just finished training the new recruits for the day. Most of them complained about your tough regimen from yesterday, though."

"Hey, if they can't handle my training sessions, they'll never survive in a real fight," replied Tanith. "If they can't take the pressure, then they shouldn't have come here to begin with."

"True . . ."

Sigrun fell into a small silence, expecting Tanith to leave for her shift. However, the seraph knight stayed behind, waiting if she would say anything else. Sigrun decided to bring up her inner thoughts about the one person they had promised their lives to.

"Tanith, about Sanaki . . ." started Sigrun.

"What about her?" replied Tanith.

"Well . . . Do you think the public will ever trust her again?" Tanith sighed and faced her comrade.

"I don't know," she said grimly. "It will take some time for them to understand."

"But why did they even hate her to begin with?" Sigrun asked. "I mean, she has done so much for them. The people were, and still are, her first priority. Why, Tanith? How can they hate someone like her?"

"I . . . I'm not sure."

"To be fair, the country was in crisis when all of this occurred," said a deep voice. "At the time, they were willing to believe anything, even a terrible and poisoning lie from the senate."

Both Sigrun and Tanith turned around to see who was speaking.

"Muarim! Tormod and Vika, too," said Tanith.

"It's good to see you again, Tanith. You too, Sigrun," greeted Muarim.

"We're glad to see you three are okay," responded Sigrun. "So, how has everything been going? What have you three been doing lately?"

"Everything is fine," replied Tormod. "We're still helping out all of the laguz. You know, finding them shelter, researching any illegal activity."

"We've been very busy, and have rarely any time to relax," said Vika. "But I guess that's expected in this line of work. Right, Boss?"

"Exactly!"

Sigrun lightly laugh at Tormod's antics, and surprisingly, so did Tanith. The little arch sage's effervescent personality and relentless energy was enough to make anyone happy. It made Sigrun forget about their current situation for a small second, but she wanted that feeling to stay just a while longer.

Sigrun was probably lost in thought that she failed to notice Tormod standing in front of her and looking straight into her eyes. The arch sage had gotten taller, but still was a tad short. He still had to look up at Sigrun to meet her gaze.

"Is there anything you need?" asked Sigrun to Tormod, though she, as well as everyone else, knew what he was going to ask of her.

"Is it okay if I see Sanaki?" asked Tormod in a concerned and serious manner.

Sigrun gave another sigh and answered, "I'm not sure."

"Then can you check?" said Tormod. "If you don't, then I'll go. Where is she?"

Sigrun could sense the little arch sage's concern, and fully understood why he would be this way. Anyone that knew Tormod knew that he and Sanaki shared a very close companionship, which soon blossomed into romance.

Of course, their relationship did not exactly start out happily. She remembered the time where Ike had brought Tormod to the empress during the Mad King's War, and relations between them at first were very negative. However, both of them realized that they shared a similar dream among themselves, and started seeing each other regularly to make it a reality. These meetings happened for years, and soon, it developed into mutual feelings.

However, after the war with the laguz and Begnion, the couple had started seeing each other less and less. Tormod had gone around the continent with Muarim and Vika, helping laguz slaves escape poverty, while Sanaki went back to ruling the nation of Begnion. These responsibilities placed a strain on their relationship, and the decline of Begnion's trust in the young empress only made things worse.

"Well?" said Tormod to Sigrun.

"She's in her room," answered Sigrun. "I'll check if-"

"GREAT!" exclaimed Tormod. "I'll be right there!" Tormod then ran past Sigrun and Tanith and started towards the main hall.

"Little one, wait!" shouted Muarim. Shortly after, he started running after Tormod in an attempt to catch up with him, apologizing to Sigrun and Tanith for the scene. Vika made her way shortly after that.

"Guess I'll go monitor those guys," said Sigrun to Tanith. "Good luck on your shift."

Sigrun walked out of the stables and started making her way into the main hall of Mainal, leaving Tanith alone at the moment. The seraph knight looked at her pegasus, which just shook its head and neighed.

"I know. I too can hardly keep up with them," commented Tanith to her steed. The seraph knight mounted her pegasus and, after performing another supply check, took flight to begin her patrol over the sky.

-.-.-.-.-

The view of the Begnion countryside could only be vividly appreciated if one looked at it from above, and not from the eye of any flying creature. From that angle of depression, one can see the streets, the people, and the conduct happening around them. The sight was, if the person thinks positively, breathtaking and heart-stopping.

There was a certain person that saw this every day in both early morning and late night. Sanaki, the empress of Begnion, was that person. However, the reasons were not that of happiness or sincerity, but of doubt, agony and uncertainty.

Ever since the war between the laguz and beorc ended, Sanaki had faced even more stress than before. There had been multiple hearings of the senate she had to attend as well as the struggling economical crisis that the country was facing. These issues, as stressful as they had been, were dealt with in a timely and effective manner. Even at the age of thirteen, Sanaki always kept the citizens of Begnion as her first priority.

But there was one crisis that began to take a toll on Sanaki the most. It was not the senate or the economy, but the people themselves.

During the war with the laguz, Duke Lekain of Gaddos had announced that Sanaki was a false apostle, and therefore the false voice of the Goddess Ashera. The empress herself discarded the title of Apostle and admitted to her people that she had not been "blessed" with her ancestors' blood. She had thought that her people would be shocked and stabbed in the back, but would eventually recover from that announcement.

However, that was not to be.

The people had not recovered as she had hoped, and instead turned against her. Their great praise towards Sanaki and her good deeds had now changed to hatred and spite for her. Every day she would see people rallying up to the cathedral, demanding that someone else become their empress.

To make matters worse, the senate, not surprisingly, funded them with enough money to make their dream real while still obeying the law. The rallies had soon stopped and the senate had apologized to her for their actions. However, not a single one of them meant a word they said, and Sanaki knew that for a fact.

The apostle looked out of the tower window once again, looking down at the country whose unity and equality were rotting in front of her very eyes. She did not want this calamity to happen, but felt as if it could not have been avoided. She had been strong, but it would not be long before that strength began to ebb and break.

Sanaki began to drift into thought about something when she heard a knock on the door.

"Empress, you have a visitor," said the voice behind the door, which Sanaki immediately identified as Sigrun.

"I cannot see anyone today," replied the young girl melancholically.

"It's Tormod," said Sigrun. "He won't go away until he sees you."

Sanaki's eyes widened as she heard Sigrun say his name. She had not seen Tormod in such a long time and wanted to talk to him. But she felt nervous and scared, and decided not to.

"I can't see anyone today," repeated the empress.

"Sanaki, please open up," said Tormod from the other side of the door. "I traveled a long way to see you, and only you."

The empress, while flattered at her friend's dedication and sacrifice, was still unwilling to oblige him. She would like to talk to someone about what was bothering her, but it was not the time at that moment. Sanaki continued to remain silent and ignored the red-headed arch sage's constant pleas.

"You know, Sothe and Volke taught me how to pick locks. I can if I wanted to," said Tormod. "You can either let me in, or I could unlock the door, or burn it down. Either way is good."

Sanaki's mood changed from sad to frustration after hearing Tormod's "ultimatum", and by the sound of his voice, he was not joking. Any person that said such a statement to the empress would immediately suffer dire and severe punishment. However, Tormod was not just any person; he was Sanaki's true friend, and loved her with all his heart.

Casually, Sanaki walked over to the door and unlocked it. There in front stood Tormod with Vika, Muarim and Sigrun standing right behind him. Tormod had gotten taller in the past seven months, and even if he did not, Sanaki would still be shorter than him. His personality, usually happy and iridescently cheerful, had changed to concerned and serious.

"What is your business here, Tormod?" asked Sanaki to the arch sage. She was hiding her inner pain from him, and so far was doing a good job.

"What does it look like? I came here to see you!" said Tormod jokingly. "Man, your attention span stinks!"

"Shut up!" retorted the empress. Seriously, when would Tormod learn to respect authority? Then again, Tormod knew just how to get on anyone's nerves; Muarim and Vika were good sources for that information.

"Just tell me what you came here for," said Sanaki a bit frustrated. Tormod did not answer immediately, and motioned for the other three bodies behind him to clear the area. They did so and left the couple alone.

"May I enter?" asked Tormod seriously.

"Of course," she replied. Tormod entered and closed the door behind him, locking it so that the two of them would not be disturbed. "What do you want, Tormod?"

"I wanted to check up on you. Is that so much to ask for?" replied the arch sage.

"Well, I'm fine. There is nothing to worry about," she said casually. Sanaki did not want Tormod to see her inner pain, but that is just what he did. She never could really hide anything from him.

"I know you're lying," he said viciously. "Sanaki, please, tell me what's bothering you."

The young empress could not hold in her feelings any longer. She walked over to Tormod with a saddening countenance and wrapped his around his waist. Tormod soon returned the embrace and set his head gently on hers.

"Tormod . . . I," started the empress, but Tormod silenced her by giving her a tight squeeze.

"It's all right," he said. "I already know what's troubling you." After that was said, Sanaki buried her head within Tormod's chest; he could feel small tears beginning to wet his shirt.

"Why, Tormod? How did this happen?" cried Sanaki.

"It's all right. I'm here," reassured Tormod. Although it was a sad attempt at trying to cheer her up, he had to try. It did, however, seem to work. "We'll get through this together."

"Thank you, Tormod," said Sanaki. She let go of Tormod and wiped a few stray tears from her face. "You are a very reliable friend. I'm glad to have you as one."

"Thank you," he said flustered. "Now, it seems like you haven't been outside in ages! You should come out!"

"But, what about-" Before Sanaki could complete her sentence, she felt Tormod grab her right arm and run towards the door, dragging her along with him.

"I won't take no for an answer! You need to get out!" he said happily as he continued to drag Sanaki down the stairs. The empress tried to break free from his hold, but he was stronger than her and failed miserably.

"Tormod, let go of me this instant!" Sanaki commanded.

"NEVER!"

The two were down onto the first floor and ran (well, Sanaki was dragged) towards the exit. They passed by Muarim, Vika and Sigrun as they did, and unfortunately, caught their attention.

"Little one!" said Muarim running after the couple. "Come back here!"

"What is he doing?" yelled Sigrun, who too began to run after them. This left Vika alone to herself, and seeing that there was no one to talk to, she decided to follow them as well.

" . . . I'm getting too old for this," she said before flying over to catch up.

-.-.-.-.-

The Grann Desert was not necessarily a place one would call home, or even think of doing so. All the place consisted of was nothing but sand and ruins, with maybe a small oasis or two. In addition, living conditions were difficult and survival rate hard, making the location even less appealing.

However, in the desert lived a certain colony of people. They were people who were knowledgeable, but shunned out of the world. They were old in terms of age, but young in appearance and inner growth.

They were the Branded.

After the defeat of the goddess, all of the Branded had gathered into a colony, where they had set up living quarters. That colony soon became an independent nation, and although it was not big in population, it had some of the most prestigious and knowledgeable people to rival any nation in Tellius.

One of these people was Stefan.

The light green-haired trueblade was seen sitting under a tree in the shade, resting with his blade, the Vague Katti, still blessed by the goddess Yune, at his side. He had been working on his swordsmanship despite his mastery, for a person, man or woman, never stopped learning. In fact, it was he who had contributed the most to the unification of the Branded.

Stefan had lived through many years, even longer than many elderly citizens put together. He was old, but looked young. He had thought of all of the hardships he had endured. He was shunned out by society, which was painful to even just remember. But he fathomed that it was all worthwhile. He had lived with the people of his lineage for so long, and was getting new additions even now.

The thought of a new arrival now got Stefan into thinking about their current addition. He was, of course, a Branded like he. However, unlike Stefan or any other citizens in the colony, he was a bit cold and harsh. He was hailed as the smartest mind in all of Tellius, and one of the main reasons why the continent was enjoying its peace today.

It was Soren, former tactician of the Greil Mercenaries.

Stefan glanced over and could see Soren practicing wind magic for what seemed to be the fiftieth time for the day. He sighed and thought back to the time when the arch sage arrived at the Grann Desert. The trueblade was hoping that he finally successfully convinced the tactician into joining on his own accord.

His hope, however, was completely dashed when Soren had only joined because he had no place to go after Ike left for 'lands unknown'. That comment hurt him the most, realizing that to Soren, he would always be second best.

Then there were the times where he tried to convince Soren into actually forgetting about Ike. Those attempts always ended badly, and in the end, would drive them emotionally apart even further.

Why did Soren have such an attachment to Ike anyway? If it was up to him, Stefan would have killed, or at the very least severely incapacitate, the savior during their training sessions back in the Mad King's War. Of course, if he did, he would be constantly hounded and possibly killed by every member of the Greil Mercenaries, and he really did not want that to happen.

Stefan decided to give up on those thoughts and at his attempts at gaining Soren. At least, for now. He would get the arch sage to join him, but he needed some more time.

Casually, the trublade slowly got up from his spot under the tree and began to walk near one of the few oases. He was feeling dehydrated from all the training and from the heat, but it was more for relaxing rather than need. Soren, however, was still on his mind, and how he would win him over would be his first priority over anything else.

-.-.-.-.-

The arch sage was hot, a disadvantage from being in an insulated room with no windows all day. He had been working since the rise of the sun, and had not taken a break even to eat a small crumb. It was a miracle that he was still standing.

"Ah, glad that's over," said the arch sage to himself. "Maybe now I can play a little song. Ah, the beauty music brings to everything."

The man began to remove latex gloves from his hands and the glasses from his eyes, which were stained with blood. As he did so, he heard the door open from behind him.

"Hello, Jeremiah," he greeted. "How has your day been going?"

"Good, as usual," the marshal replied. "How is your research going?"

"Great, actually," said the arch sage nonchalantly. "It was a bit tough, though. The dragons sure do have tough hides."

"I can see that."

The marshal looked at the sight in front of him. He could see on the operating table the torn and cut bodies of two laguz: one of the dragon tribe and one of the bird tribe. From the look of the scenery, there appeared to be a struggle, as both laguz were in their transformed state, and there was a large amount of blood spatter on the walls. Both had lied in the heated room for hours, creating an unbearable stench.

"Man, you really should air this place out," Jeremiah commented.

"I know, but I can't," said the arch sage. "Believe it or not, I actually like the smell of rigor mortis and decay. It gives me that strange and fuzzy feeling inside." He turn around at now faced the marshal with a smile across his countenance. "Have you ever had that feeling before?"

"I might have." Jeremiah cleared his throat before speaking again. "But you know why I am here, right?"

"Of course, and I'm glad to say that my research is finally complete."

Jeremiah's eyes immediately lit up at the response. "Really?" he said. "That's perfect! I'll go tell the soldiers."

"Wait, you cannot tell them. We can't march out just yet," said the arch sage.

"And why not?" asked the marshal.

"Because we need more time," he answered.

"More time? What do you mean?" Jeremiah demanded. "This is the perfect time to attack."

"No, it's not," countered the sorcerer. "Unleashing an attack at this time would be suicide."

Jeremiah, unhappy with the answer, grabbed his comrade's robe collar and hoisted him into the air.

"And how, huh?" yelled the marshal. "What proof do you have? All you do is sit here and play with these sub-humans! What knowledge of the outside world do you have?"

"Are you implying that I am an idiot?" countered the arch sage calmly as he stared at his friend's flaring eyes. "We can't attack yet. The countries still retain too much power, and even if their unity is slowing beginning to decay, they will override us. That is why we need more time."

Jeremiah gently placed his partner down onto the floor and let go of his robe, but his countenance was still that of anger.

"Okay then, what do we do?" he asked.

"I have a few . . . connections," started the arch sage. "I just have to inform them of what to do. We will further break each country's unity from within, which in turn will create more and more malcontents of the nobles." Here his eyes began to glow a very bright orange. "Do you see now? When the country starts rioting, we shall recruit them, and with our vast numbers . . ."

"Overthrow the higher-ups," finished Jeremiah; his expression now changed to pleased. "Now I see. If we go now, we'll only get ourselves killed, but drive anyone else to follow our pack. You want to achieve both without suffering casualties on our account, is that right?"

"Precisely," said the arch sage, his eyes still glowing orange. "And soon, every nation will fall one by one."

Jeremiah gave a small chuckle and said, "Yes, that is a perfect plan. Should I tell the soldiers?"

"Go right ahead," said the musician, whose eyes had now stopped glowing and returned to their normal shade of light teal. Jeremiah exited the room and left his friend alone. "Ah, how this will play out, I can't wait to see."


	4. Chapter 3: Advice and Consent

Chapter 3: Advice and Consent

A typical day for a common citizen varied from person to person. True, some might have similar rituals to start off the day, but afterward was different. Whether it was training knights in the military, sowing seeds in the field, or healing injured citizens, nothing was guaranteed to be the same.

The arch sage was no different, and his day was far from typical. His mornings, however, were a bit chaotic and filled with grotesque imagery.

But today was different for the arch sage. Instead of his routine of rummaging through cutting utensils, or looking at jars filled with laguz entrails, he silently sat down and enjoyed the aroma within his room, isolated from the rest of the continent. A smirk graced his countenance, but what it was for was a mystery that only he could figure out. Whether it was true happiness or diabolical schemes he worked out was unclear, and even might not be either one, but either way, he felt content.

"Ah, how beautiful this morning is turning out to be," he commented to himself. "Is it always this graceful and serene? I should explore more and ascertain the answers myself." The sorcerer stood up from his seat and walked over to a drawer. He opened it and took out some paper and a quill with ink.

"Let's see . . ." said the arch sage thoughtfully. Suddenly, the door to his chambers opened and in entered his "boss", Jeremiah.

"Ah, greetings, my friend," said the arch sage to the marshal. "I was just about to go through the strategy."

"You've been doing so for the past five days!" Jeremiah yelled. "The soldiers are getting impatient. When are we going to attack!"

"Patience, patience, my good friend," said the musician calmly. "If you haven't listened to me five days before, we need to begin to tear each country down from within."

"But you haven't done anything! We've made no progress!" roared Jeremiah at his friend. "I'm starting to think that you don't want this to happen, is that it?"

"No, no. It's not that. It's just that we need more time," replied the arch sage. "If you would let me talk, I will inform you of the plan of action we'll be taking."

Jeremiah gave a discontent grunt, but moved closer to his friend to see their plan. He glanced at the papers and saw numerous terms and phrases that he did not even understand. Not that he cared; Jeremiah only provided the fighting force while his friend worked with all the complex and political concerns. On one of the papers was a map of Tellius, and next to it was a small parchment of the arch sage's handwriting. He noticed that all of the countries' key locations had been circled and labeled, but Begnion had the most.

"Care to explain what all of this means?" said Jeremiah to his comrade.

"Of course," the arch sage replied. "As you know, all of the countries seem to be in some state of political or economic turmoil, or both. Of all of the countries, Begnion is the most powerful and most populated. It, too, has a great burden resting on its shoulders. This is where our conquest will begin."

"Wait, what?" said Jeremiah shocked. He looked at his friend as though he were suicidal. "Are you crazy? We can't attack the Begnion Empire! They're too powerful! Have you lost your mind?"

The arch sage just lightly chuckled and shook his head. He seemed to be amused at his friend's show of panic and surprise. Only he could do that to him, however, and not suffer any dire consequences.

"I am not insane, I assure you," he informed. "We will not be attacking them with fighting force, but with political force."

Jeremiah's countenance became that of confusion and said, "What do you mean?"

"Allow me to clarify," began the arch sage. "I highly doubt that you are familiar with Tellius' political system, so allow me to shed some light on the topic.

"Many other places outside of Tellius use a bicameral system. That is, there are to be two houses to make up the congressional assembly. Tellius, however, uses a unicameral system, meaning that there is only one house that composes the legislative system. That house is the senate, and combined, the count is a total of 100 senators.

"However, senators represent the country as a whole rather than the districts within the country. To allow equal representation during hearings, the continent of Tellius uses what is called a branch system, and is the one of very few places to do so. What this does is that it divides the senate powers and representation into one of two sub-divisions.

"The first house is called the main house. This branch composes of all the senators and representatives who speak for the country as a whole. The second house is called the branch house. This branch of government composes of all the senators who represent the people within the districts of their country. In a sense, the branch system makes a unicameral system more bicameral, only having fewer members.

"Each country has a different number of senators. Crimea and Daein each have 20 senators, 10 in the main house, and 10 in the branch house. The laguz nations of Goldoa, Gallia, and Serenes do not have a senate, but representatives serve as such. Each only has only 2 representatives, bringing the total to 6. And last but certainly not least, Begnion caps it off with 54 senators, 27 in the main house and 27 in the branch house. These numbers altogether total 100 senators."

"Is there a point to all this rambling?" demanded Jeremiah, growing bored at his comrade's sermon-like lecture.

"I'm getting to it," replied the arch sage. "You see, the senate plays a very major role on whether or not a treaty is approved, or whether or not a bill is eligible for becoming a law. However, these decisions are overturned by the person who presides over the senate, and that person is none other than the empress of Begnion herself."

"And her senators are rarely on equal terms with her, right?" said Jeremiah starting to catch the meaning of his friend's speech.

"My, your really are smart," commented the arch sage. "Yes, she does preside over the senate, but only does so when they are discussing laws and treaties that affect the entire continent. Locally, the leaders of the senators' country preside over them, respectfully."

Jeremiah ran a thumb over his chin thoughtfully, trying to decipher what his friend was getting at. The arch sage just calmly watched as his partner wandered off into his thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, Jeremiah got tired of guessing.

"Okay, what is the point of all this? Just tell me already!" the marshal said forcefully. The arch sage just chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder.

"You will see in due time, my friend."

-.-.-.-.-

Political science is not usually a profession one would choose to specialize in on Tellius. The work was long and complex; the hours moved on by with little to no regard for the person; and the demands faced by the nobles, many of them who are only motivated by sheer greed, would mentally break even the most sharpest of minds. The result was a person that was tired, sick in the head and on the brink of mental insanity (as far as Tellius goes).

In addition, most of the people who worked as political scientists rarely liked their job, or even tried to make their work more enjoyable. The only responses from those people were "it pays the bills on time" or "puts crumbs and water on the table". In reality, many of them would quit if they had the choice, but sadly cannot.

However, there was one person who actually liked the line of political science. He earned his place and renown among royals for his savvy concerning Tellius' affairs. His speech, although difficult to understand, was taken with the highest regard among many political leaders.

That man, Bastian, count of Fayre, was whom all of Tellius widely depended on.

Unlike many political scientists in Tellius, Bastian was quite satisfied with his work. His quick wit and sharp mind had helped the continent's reconstruction in a number of ways. He effortlessly went to work, using all of his knowledge to ensure that every peace treaty was signed and approved. Despite his ambiguous way of speaking, his mind was always kept sharp with wit to following behind.

Bastian made his way over to the Mainal Cathedral, having arrived twelve hours earlier. Today was a hearing between the senate and the empress of Begnion regarding a peace treaty and two bills, which he knew no doubt, would become law. The treaty that he had proposed addressed the laguz and beorc interrelations, stating that laguz that lived (or plan to live) in a beorc nation would get equal rights as all nations would. In addition, the beorc countries must adhere to the laguz practices and laws passed from their immigrants' country of origin.

This treaty was approved by all laguz tribes as well as the rulers of Daein and Crimea, Micaiah and Elincia, respectfully. All that remained was the empress' approval, and the treaty would take effect immediately. The two bills, regarding the same concerns as the treaty, were also approved by the same people, and too only needed Sanaki's say-so.

But there was one thing that pestered the count of Fayre. The political (and at times, theatrical) arch sage was facing a problem that many other men faced in their lives. And that was the struggle of true love. His in particular was for one, and only one, woman alone: Lucia.

Bastian had thought of all the numerous times he had tried to win over Elincia's true-blue foster sister. He tried time and time again with a multitude of praises, mountains of gifts and sweet poetic speeches, and tolling hours of holding special events just for the two of them. To ensure that he would win her over, he did whatever she would ask of him and stuck by her side day by day to show that he, and no one else, was the one she should be in love with.

But Lucia was cunning and sharp. True, she did not possess the wit and political savvy as the count did, but she proved herself to be no slacker either. She put her loyalty to the queen first, and in doing so, bluntly rejected Bastian on the spot. He, of course, would not take 'no' for an answer, and continuously tried to woo her, each time upping his game.

But the answers were always the same as the previous attempts. Lucia would kindly, and sometimes viciously, reject him and say that they were only friends. This dismissal hurt the Bastian's pride, but his attempts would never cease until Lucia's heart was his.

The count came to a stop in the middle of a room and reflected deeper onto these thoughts.

"O Lucia," he started, "what a beauty thine art. Why must thou be so cruel and sagaciously wicked when it comes to mine love? You're eyes and hair glisten as beautifully and radiantly as the sky hov'ring o'er the sea. Your voice sings harmonic melodies, but is dangerous as the Sirens, luring sailors to their shameful death.

"Are thou scared to make a pact of love, or are thou truly not sure if she should be in love? Is that why you, my eternal joy, must be parted from me? O, how terrible you have become, for no matter how many times you cut me open, I keep bleeding love! I care not the others misconstrued jests and thousand injuries they may tell me, for no tourniquet can stop the love that I bleed for you!

"Lucia, I-"

Bastian, unaware of his ongoing soliloquy, was interrupted from one of his speeches by a rather hard tap on his shoulder. Coming to a stop, the arch sage turned around to see none other than Sothe standing behind him.

"Ah, a good afternoon to you, Sir Sothe," greeted Bastian.

"Um . . . good afternoon to you too, Bastian," replied Sothe. The whisper was used to the count of Fayre's speech after hearing it for so long. Still, it did feel awkward, but that was only because it was Bastian.

"What can I indulge thine person with?" asked Bastian, for which Sothe took as a simple 'How can I help you?'

"I just wanted to make sure you were ready for the hearing today," said Sothe.

"Ah, I am most certainly ready," Bastian replied confidently.

"Good to hear," said Sothe. "Oh, and if you hadn't noticed, you were talking about Lucia again . . . loudly."

The count's facial expression was, as people would say, completely priceless after hearing what Sothe said. His countenance was that of pure shock and surprise of his unknown soliloquy to the entire noble branch of Begnion. He glanced around the room and saw many people chuckling or commenting over whether Bastian was sick in the head.

Casually, the count shrugged off these remarks and made his way to the meeting hall; Sothe followed behind him.

-.-.-.-.-

The senate hall was filled to capacity with all of the senators and representatives of all the nations of Tellius. Many of them, mostly beorc, wore the same attire consisting of a glistening translucent white robe with a hat to match. The other senators wore a similar outfit without the hat, while many of them wore outfits completely different than that of any social norm. The hearing looked more like a masquerade than anything else.

Bastian made his way around the chaos that ensued and took a seat in the front row. Sothe sat beside him and began glancing around the room, gagging at some of the "fashion trends" many of the senators were wearing. The only people that did not try to look like a self-obsessed and arrogant noble were the laguz representatives. Out of everyone in the room, they kept their attire simple and straightforward.

Sothe continued to glance around the room, searching for someone that he knew. He gave up and began staring off into space until someone interrupted his thoughts.

"SOTHE!" yelled a voice from behind him. The only problem was that the voice was right in his ear. Sothe, perturbed and slightly deaf, turned around to see none other than Gallia's right-hand man to the king.

"Ranulf!" greeted Sothe. "It's great to see you."

"Same to you, my friend," said Ranulf cheerfully. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping Micaiah out over at Daein? Speaking of her, shouldn't Micaiah be the one here and not you?"

"Micaiah has other pressing matters to attend in Daein, so I came here instead as a representative and listener," explained Sothe.

"Well, that's good to hear. Better to have someone she trusts here than some snot-nosed, spoiled, 40-year-old brat," Ranulf said cheerfully. Sothe laughed at his remark, which was true in many ways.

From Ranulf's comment, Sothe and the blue-haired cat began talking about their lives after the war, and catching up on old times. Ranulf, being the newly crowned King Skrimir's right-hand man, worked relentlessly to see that the new king's reign went well. He was run rather ragged by him, almost breaking several bones on some occasions, but he seemed pretty content with his life. Sothe's role needed no explanation for Ranulf, for the blue-haired cat laguz could see how his life was turning out.

Their small conversation lasted for well passed fifteen minutes; the hearing did not start for another hour. The two continued to talk about their daily lives, but soon ran out of things to converse about. Then, as if turning to a last resort, Sothe asked a question that Ranulf thought he never would ask.

"Ranulf, how is Lethe doing? Are you two still together?" said the whisper to his friend.

Ranulf looked up slightly surprised at the question. It was true that he and Lethe were a couple, and a rather unique one at that. Lethe was full of pride and far too stubborn, while Ranulf was almost a polar opposite. Lethe was a bit cold and dissenting towards Ranulf at first, but soon warmed up to him, and before anyone knew what hit them, the two had magically became a couple during the Laguz-Begnion War.

"We're doing fine," replied Ranulf nonchalantly. "Though, things are still rough with a new king and all."

"I can understand why," said Sothe, understanding Ranulf's situation.

"And what about Micaiah?" asked Ranulf. "How are you and her doing?"

Sothe, who was happy and content until now, became hesitant and silent. He did not answer Ranulf's question, but the cat did not need one. He knew the answer by seeing Sothe clench a fist and look down at the table somewhat remorsefully.

"Look, just forget it," said Ranulf. "I'm sorry I asked."

"No, you don't need to apologize," Sothe informed. The two then became dead silent, only glancing at each other every once in a while with the chattering of the other senators serving as background noise.

Both their thoughts were now the same: _'When is this meeting going to start?'_

-.-.-.-.-

The hour passed by far too long for some people, and seemed like an eternity for them. Thankfully, a senator announced that Empress Sanaki has arrived, and that all representatives and senators take their seats upon her arrival.

Within mere moments, Sanaki entered the hall with Tormod, Tanith and Sigrun as her escorts. Sanaki sat down into a chair situated in the center of the first row of seats. Tormod, Sigrun and Tanith walked away slowly and waited near the door, though Tormod wanted to stay with her, but knew that it was best he did not. The young empress got up from her seat and took to the floor.

"All senators, please still your tongues," said Sanaki to get the attention of her "advisors". "I would now like to officially call this hearing into discussion. We are here to discuss a treaty between the laguz, and two bills that are subject to debate on whether or not they are law. I will hear each positions story. Please tell us who is speaking, and for which house branch."

With that explanation, Sanaki sat back down into her chair. After she was situated, two nobles arrived at her side. One was a thin male with brown hair and hazel eyes. He wore a white robe with the matching hat, along with white shoes. The other was a female with black hair and brown eyes. Her attire similar to that of the male's, but she did not wear the hat and wore black heels as opposed to boots.

"I am Lord Saron, representing the branch house, and favoring," said the male.

"Keiko, representing the main house, and resenting," said the female.

"You may begin," said Sanaki. Both senators went out into the center of the small hall and stood in front of their peers. Then, the debate began.

"Empress Sanaki. Noble senators," started Saron. "It has come to my attention that the laguz want to move into the other nations of Tellius. And by all means, why shouldn't we allow it? We already have accepted the bird tribes of the Serenes Forest, so why not allow other laguz to move here as well. By making these two bills a law, we would help bridge the gap between laguz and beorc prejudice, and would help keep rebellion at bay.

"Refer back to the war, when Begnion and the Laguz Alliance fought each other. Both sides suffered massive casualties, and for what? There was no purpose for the fighting, and in the end, it was they who saved us from an almost irrevocable end. And we need to change that. If we let fear rule our hearts, we rot the society with malice and death.

"Empress Sanaki."

Saron ended his speech and walked off the stage temporarily, the audience applauding at his leave. After the applause died down, Keiko made her way to the center of the floor and stood before the massive inside stadium of nobles.

"Empress Sanaki. Noble senators," Keiko began. "We are here to discuss two bills and a treaty that would become law. All three focus of laguz and beorc relations and immigration. All three say or imply that we must grant equal protection to these laguz, and that we cannot make any laws that ban their practices and tradition. That doesn't sound bad, right?

"Well, my friends, while there is a good part of it, there are many holes that we cannot fill if they are passed, and might even step on values we hold dear to our hearts.

"Suppose that a crime is committed by a laguz upstart. Suppose he "accidently" killed a man on the streets, and continues doing so. If it were a beorc who committed these heinous, why, we would execute him without trial. But because these laws will pass, we are going under the assumption that it is "laguz ritual" or "common practice". Is there any justice in that?

"If we make these bills law and accept this treaty, we give more power to the laguz than we have for ourselves. When that happens, it can lead to a slippery slope of abuse and misguided punishment among the beorc race. I mean, they have a right to kill, but we can't? Honestly, all three are as poorly worded as a sentence with no grammar structure.

"I ask, no implore, all of you to look into your hearts. What is it that matters in our society? What we hold sacred, or forcing to look at practices we consider barbaric, or kneeling before our oppressors all because of a stupid piece of paper? I for one don't want to find out, and encourage you all to take action immediately.

"Empress Sanaki."

Keiko ended her speech and returned to her seat. The room roared with applause and praise from a majority of the senators, all of which were from Begnion. Sothe, who paid very close attention to everything, felt disgusted that many of them would approve of such an action, but he was not surprised at all. Almost every senator did whatever they could to eradicate the laguz, but knew in his heart that Sanaki would never allow that to happen.

Sanaki rose from her seat and approached the stage to face the nobles.

"Thank you for your positions," she started. "I will now cast my vote and opinion on the matter. While yes, we do hold values that are sacred to our hearts, we must also remember to accept others as well. In these times, we must put our personal beliefs aside and walk proudly as one nation.

"With that said, I accept both the bills and treaties, and declare that-"

"Wait a moment, Empress," interrupted a voice. The entire crowd, surprised that someone had the guts to cut off the voice of Begnion, turned to see Keiko standing from her seat.

"What is it, Senator Keiko?" Sanaki asked. "You have not been addressed, so you better have a good explanation for interrupting me."

"I do," Keiko answered. "I ask that all senators take a brief leave of office."

Everyone, the senate included, was confused at this sudden change of plan. Even Bastian was caught off guard to this maneuver. But he was not a senator, only a representative, so he could not join in their "circle of trust".

The senators left from their seats and made their way out of the room, leaving only a select few remaining. Bastian, Sothe, Tormod, Ranulf, Sigrun, Tanith, and Sanaki were those people.

"What's going on?" asked Tormod.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this," said Sothe.

"Do not worry, my good friends," said Bastian. "For no matter the manner they may go about or their thoughts, Sanaki will always choose the best course of action. Correct, your grace?"

"That is correct," replied Sanaki. No sooner, all of the senators had taken returned and taken their seats. Well, almost everyone. The one senator, Keiko, went to the center of the floor where Sanaki would be.

"My sincerest apologies, Empress, but I thought that this matter required more debate and opinion," said Keiko.

"It is all right, Senator Keiko," said Sanaki. "But now, if you do not mind, please take a seat."

" . . . I am sorry, but I cannot," said Keiko. This maneuver had shocked everyone, even the senators of Begnion themselves, who had despised Sanaki's plans for equality. However, they did not have enough courage or power to speak against her.

"Is there any reason why?" demanded Tanith. "The empress of Begnion has given you a direct order, so do as she says."

"I will not," countered Keiko, "for I am not finished yet."

"What do you mean?" said Sanaki, now starting to get angered.

"Empress, your plans for equality are very valiant, indeed," started Keiko "But it has come to Begnion's attention that you are making decisions to hastily."

Everyone was petrified at that comment. No one had dared to speak to the empress in such a manner, even if they wished utter misery upon her. For someone to say something like that was considered suicide, and perhaps that is what Keiko was trying to commit.

"What are you getting at?" demanded Sanaki irately.

"I am saying that you must take into consideration the words of your fellow senators," said Keiko.

"But we have no problem," said a Crimean senator. "Many of us approve of this bill as well."

"Yeah, every senator from Crimea and Daein as well as the laguz representatives don't have a problem with it at all," said a senator from Daein.

"But what about Begnion?" asked Keiko. "They make over half of the senate. Shouldn't they have some say?"

The light now switched over to the Begnion senators, who became nervous when Keiko shined it upon them. They did not answer her question at all, but they did not need to. It was painfully obvious of their position on the matter. But it mattered not what they meant, for Sanaki had the final say in every political matter.

"Excuse me, but what point are you making?" said Sothe.

"If it's to stop Sanaki from approving these laws, then you're failing miserably," added Tormod. Keiko, however, smiled a wide grin.

"Actually, that's where you are wrong," she said, pulling out a piece of parchment from her robes. "Empress, it seems you have failed to read part of the binding constitution you have taken oath to. In a certain article here, it says that before the empress should pass any treaties or bills, they must be reviewed and approved by the senate."

"No . . ." whispered Sanaki, finally realizing what was happening.

"That's right," said Keiko, enjoying Sanaki's expression of terror on her countenance. "All of your actions did not follow this order, but my fellow senators will make sure this one does. In a 54 to 46 vote in favor of the opposition, the treaty and bills are repealed and shall not become law!"

"WHAT?" yelled Bastian, rising from his seat as he did so. After that, the entire room exploded in shouts and hollers of chaos. The senators from Crimea and Daein, and the representatives of the laguz nations all verbally fought with the senators of Begnion.

"This court is corrupt!" yelled a senator.

"You can't do this!" yelled another senator.

"But we can!" retorted Keiko. "From now on, all laws and treaties that concern the entire continent must have advice and consent from the senate in order to become law. Only through a majority vote will decide its fate."

The Begnion senators could now hear bells of joy and relief. They had waited for their chance to get back at Sanaki, and with this new policy, they had a fighting chance. Their power had returned and even overpowered them, and no one could do anything but accept it.

-.-.-.-.-

A messenger walked down the dilapidated hall and approached a door. He felt nervous at first about knocking, but decided to do so anyway. He gave the door three hard knocks.

"Come in," said the voice from behind the door. The messenger opened the door and saw two people standing inside. One was a marshal, the other an arch sage.

"Jeremiah, sir, we have received news from Begnion," said the messenger.

"Ah, yes," said the arch sage. "So, what is the verdict?"

"The two bills and treaty have been successfully declined, sir," informed the messenger.

"Ah, perfect," said the arch sage happily. "As always, Keiko has delivered another outstanding performance. I should give her a present for her work. You are dismissed."

"Sir." The messenger left the room, leaving Jeremiah and the arch sage alone.

"What was the point of all that?" asked Jeremiah to his friend. "I'm happy that it didn't pass, but how does that help our cause?" The arch sage chuckled before replying.

"Simple. The peoples' trust is in the government," he explained. "I have created a situation where political efficacy can be easily manipulated. Their trust in the government will now dwindle even more."

Jeremiah now started to realize why his friend went to such lengths to make sure to interrupt the senate hearing. "My friend, you are as deceptive and cunning as ever."

"Thank you," said the arch sage.

"So, what's our next plan?" asked the marshal.

"Now, we advertise."


	5. Chapter 4: A Darkening Light

Chapter 4: A Darkening Light

"Guard shift today?" said a watchman.

"Yes," replied the soldier. "Have to make sure that no one escapes."

"I don't see why, though. I mean, it's only one man," said his comrade. "But I guess if that's what we have to do, then we have to. Who are we to question her orders?"

"You have a point there."

The two soldiers made their way down the dungeons where their work would begin. The work was not very complicated; all they had to do was watch over the prisoners and make sure they did not escape. However, they only had one to watch over, as no one ever was sent to the dungeons. It struck them as to why until their superior told them the story. Then it began to make sense.

The watchmen arrived inside the arid and damp dungeons. Surprisingly, it was not at all in bad condition as far as appearance and cleanliness was concerned. They both walked near a wide jail cell, each one standing at one side end of it. Inside the cell was the figure they were to look after.

"So, another day of boredom, eh?" taunted a guard to the prisoner; there was no response.

"Have you lost your tongue?" taunted the other; again, no response. "Ah, forget it. What's the use of talking if you're not gonna talk?" Suddenly, there was a loud slam. It was too far away for the guards to hear it fully, so it came from outside.

"Did you hear that?" asked a soldier to his comrade. "Someone's in the dungeon!"

"Don't panic," said his friend calmly. "Wait for them to come here, and then we spring into action."

"Right."

The two watchmen took battle stances and prepared to face their unknown intruder. This sudden act also caught the attention of the prisoner. They all waited for someone to arrive, for they heard footsteps approaching their location.

"Get ready!" said a guard.

The two soldiers braced themselves when they saw a figure enter the dungeon. The light shone on the person and revealed its features. The person was male, wearing a heavy light blue robe with a white shirt and tan pants. He had dark brown eyes, short black hair and a shadowed black beard running across his jaw. He carried a book underneath his right arm.

"Who are you?" asked one of the watchmen. He got no response.

"Hey, answer his question!" demanded the second guard. "Who are you, and why are you here?" There was still no response.

"So you won't answer, eh?" said the first guard. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to beat it out of you!"

With that, the two soldiers charged at the intruder with their lances ready to skewer him. The man did not move, but instead, opened his book. He quickly skipped to a page and began reading.

"Erakif Madaesto Mori Hyouketsu," he chanted quickly, thrusting his arm towards the guards as he did. Instantly, a whirlwind of freezing wind quickly gusted towards the two watchmen and froze them, leaving them motionless in a case of ice in their fighting positions. The man walked over to the two ice sculptures and knocked them down, shattering both beorc and spilling their frozen innards all over the floor.

The prisoner, having witnessed the scene, backed up against the wall, terrified at what might happen to him. He saw the man walk closer to his cell, further putting him in a state of fear. The man stopped at the front of the door and turned to his side when he heard the entrance to the dungeon open. The person entering was similar to the man in terms of apparel, but with different color schemes and physical features.

The person was a male with light teal eyes and short brown hair. He wore a brown robe and kept a Dark tome in his arms. He walked towards the man, surveying the scene as he progressed. A smile graced his features.

"My, Reza, you sure do make a mess of things," said the man sarcastically.

"My apologies, sir," said Reza. "I should have used a softer spell on them, but I feared that it might give us away."

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with?" said the man. "Well, either way, you did a good job. Besides, I like using my Dark magic."

The other man opened his Dark tome and skimmed to a certain page. He silently chanted the words, and in seconds, the frozen remains were dissolved in waves of darkness. The room was cleaner than it was before.

"There, all done," said the man as he closed his tome. "Now, about our mission . . ."

"He's right there," said Reza as he turned to face the man; a smile appeared on his countenance.

"W-who are people?" asked the prisoner frantically.

"That's not important right now," said the second man, also smiling. He unlocked the door and opened the prisoner's cell. Both he and Reza began to walk towards the frightened man.

"No, stay away from me!" said yelled the prisoner fearfully. Both stopped, and the second man shook his head in slight annoyance.

"If he keeps this up, we'll be caught for sure," he said. He extended his left hand, and magically, a staff appeared with a green gem on the top. "I hate having to do this." He began chanting and the gem began to glow.

"No, stop. What are you doing?" said the prisoner fearfully. However, he did not get very far. His eyes felt heavy and his body numb. Shortly, his eyes closed and he fell to the ground, asleep.

"Hush, hush," said the second man. "We can't have you kicking and screaming, now can we?"

Both he and Reza continued to walk up to the prisoner. Reza shut the door to the cell and locked it once both were inside. Afterwards, he took out a sliver staff with a magenta gem on the top and began to chant. In an instant, he and his partner, along with the prisoner, vanished.

-.-.-.-.-

Geoffrey was very deep in thought. He was seen sitting down on his throne, running his thumb across his chin very methodically. He was about to hear how the senate hearing went, but knew without a doubt that it would be a success. After all, the empress Sanaki would always hear and approve of anything said by Bastian, and this time would be no different.

Still, Geoffrey had a bit of unease in his chest. He had a thought, a dreadful one, if this process was the right way to deal with bridging the gap between laguz and beorc. Their decisions have begun to cause controversy over their lands, and resentment was beginning to creep up again. He worried for everyone, Elincia especially.

Geoffrey gave a long sigh and stood up from the throne. He began to walk out until he was interrupted.

"Thinking again, Geoffrey?" said a deep voice. The king of Crimea looked up to see no other than Lord Renning, Elincia's uncle.

"Sir Renning, it's good to see you," greeted Geoffrey as he approached his brother-in-law. "What brings you here?"

"I'm waiting for Count Fayre to arrive," said Renning. "But it looks like he's not here yet."

"Which is strange; he's always on time," commented Geoffrey. "Guess this breaks his perfect punctuality record." Renning gave a small chuckle at his comment. Afterwards, he began to talk with Geoffrey.

"Tell me, how is my niece faring these days?" Renning asked concerned. Geoffrey, who was fairly laid back, had become a bit saddened when he asked.

"Not so well," responded Geoffrey depressed. "She's been having doubts about her rule, and it doesn't help that the people are directly showing their hatred. I've done all I can to help her, but I don't know if it's enough."

Renning gave a rather discontent sigh at the response. He was beginning to take notice at his niece's change in behavior and emotions. She always had a calm and collected face during their talks, but felt that she was beginning to break down. But he could not blame Elincia for feeling that way.

"Don't worry, Geoffrey," he said. "I'm sure it will get better as time goes on." Geoffrey gave a smile at his comment. He was right, it will get better.

The two royals' thoughts were interrupted when they heard a loud slam of the door. Both knights looked over where it came from and saw Bastian walking inside. However, there was something different about the count. Normally, the man was cheerful and comical; now he looked enraged and full of hate. Both Geoffrey and Renning were wondering what happened that would make Bastian this upset.

"Bastian, are you okay?" asked Geoffrey.

"I am well, thank you," replied Bastian with a mix of calmness and rage in his voice. "Is Elincia here?"

"She's in the garden. I'll get her," said Geoffrey. He exited the room, leaving Renning and the count alone.

"What has you this upset?" said Renning concerned.

"I cannot say until the queen arrives. This tragedy requires that her majesty be here as well," replied Bastian. Renning made no attempt at conversation and both were left standing, waiting for the queen. In a couple of minutes, Elincia had arrived with Geoffrey and Lucia by her side.

"Count Bastian! Uncle!" said Elincia happily. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Elincia," said Renning. Elincia was happy to see her friend and her uncle by her side. However, something caught her attention: Bastian's rage.

"Bastian what's the matter?" she asked. "Normally, you're in a good mood. Do you want to talk about it?"

"What I have to say is terrible," the count started, rage still in his tone. "It concerns the decisions made at the hearing."

"Oh, that," interjected Lucia. "Well, how did it go? When will the new bill take effect?" There was a brief silence, and the Bastian broke the news.

"It won't take effect," he said sullenly. "They struck it down!"

"WHAT?" The entire group was stunned and shocked at the terrible news, and Sanaki's sudden change of heart.

"But how?" said Lucia. "Why would Sanaki do such a thing?"

"It wasn't her, my dear Lucia," started Bastian. "It was the senators of Begnion themselves!"

"The senators?" said Renning.

"Yes, it was them!" said Bastian poetically. He began to break into another one of his soliloquies. "The senate and Sanaki, eternal rivals till the end of eternity. The dogs have been waiting for their chance to usurp the power over our fair motherland. They were wolves, waiting for their prey to fall into a falsified sense of comfort.

"And then they strike, snatching and tearing their victim, leaving nothing but bones for all to see and fear their power and destruction. They served as a wall of fire, blocking our advances to equal salvation!"

The entire group did not bother stopping him throughout his speech; they were used to his style. But what struck them the hardest was how their quest for peace was stopped. The senate had regained control of their power, and was using it to stop the passage of any, if not all, laws that they saw as "unfit".

"This is not good. There has to be something we can do," said Geoffrey.

"I hope, but alas, there is nothing," said Bastian regretfully. "I will try to look into this matter, but I cannot guarantee success. The power of the senate is strong, stronger than you or I. But fear not, for breaking their power I must try."

Bastian left shortly after, leaving the rest of the group alone.

"What do we do now?" said Lucia.

"I don't know," said Elincia saddened. "I don't know what to do."

"What _can _we do?" said Geoffrey.

"Not much," interjected Renning. "We'll have to see how Sanaki handles all of this. Still, it's a bit unsettling."

"We have problems of our own to worry about," said Lucia. "We can't interfere with the senators affairs right now. But we will get to the bottom of this."

Everyone in the room nodded at the remark. Just then, a soldier ran into the room unannounced with a look of sheer terror on his countenance. The room was already filled with grief, and seemed that it would get worse. Hopefully, that was not the case.

"Queen Elincia, I have terrible news!" said the soldier. So much for being happy.

"What is it?" asked Elincia. She, Renning, Geoffrey, and Lucia gathered around the man, eagerly awaiting the news. What they heard sent them onto a completely new level of disbelief.

"No! It can't be!" said Elincia horrified.

-.-.-.-.-

The forest was serene, with nature singing at every corner. There were birds that flew high in the sky, and a few animals running along the way. There was nothing that could ruin the forest's grace. At least, not in this particular part.

Somewhere far off, a man was swinging an axe at a tree repeatedly. He was very tall, had very dark green hair and green eyes to match. He wore a sleeveless red shirt, revealing his muscular arms at all angles, as well as tan pants and brown boots. Finally, there he had a ring on the ring finger of his left hand, signifying that he was married or engaged.

The man kept hacking away at the tree, and from the very large cuts on the bark, was doing so only recently. Just then, the axe man stopped and wiped away sweat that was on his forehead.

"Man, this is boring," he said tediously. "When are we going to get another job?" The man proceeded to continue to hack away at the tree when someone called out to him.

"Boyd!" called a feminine voice. The reaver turned around and saw Mist, his wife, running up to him.

"Mist!" he called back running up to her. The two of them embraced each other when they collided. Mist looked up at her husband and planted a kiss on his mouth, and Boyd happily returned the gesture.

"Mist, why are you here?" asked Boyd. "Is lunch ready?"

"Is that all you ever think about?" said Mist slightly annoyed.

"Maybe . . ." Mist punched Boyd in the abdomen hard, but it seemed to hurt her hand more than it hurt him.

"I came here to tell you that we have a job," said Mist, who was shaking out the pain in her hand. "Two in fact."

"Really?" said Boyd, his mood changing from bored to excited in an instant. "Finally! You know how boring it is swinging away at this tree?"

"I wouldn't know," said Mist. "Now come on! We have to go! Everyone's waiting for us!"

With that, Mist and Boyd ran back to their headquarters, ready for work.

-.-.-.-.-

The Greil Mercenaries waited in the fort patiently for Boyd and Mist to return.

"My, two more jobs," said Titania. "Not only that, but both with good pay."

"Yippee," said Shinon sarcastically. He continued to feather his arrows and string his bow for the mission. He did not want to chase after bandits; he thought that it was beneath him and a waste of his skills. If it were up to him, he would have left a long time ago when Ike was still around, but he would have nowhere to go, so he decided to stay.

"Oh, come on Shinon," perked Rolf. "You need to cheer up more!"

"Shove it," snorted the hotheaded marksman as he continued to string his bow. Shortly, Boyd and Mist came through the door.

"We're back!" announced Mist with Boyd right behind her.

"Great. The Greil Mercenaries are all here," said Titania, the new commander. "Okay, we've been given two jobs to run out bandits in both Caldea and Zalgo. Boyd, Mist, Rolf and Gatrie will take care of the bandits in Caldea; Gatrie will be in charge. Everyone else will come with me. Understand? Good. Now, let's move out."

-.-.-.-.-

"Mercenaries have arrived!" said a bandit to his leader.

"Oh, great," said the leader, Mora. "Listen up, raid the village and take everything valuable, quickly!"

"They're here!" yelled another one. Mora looked down and saw a small band of four mercenaries gather around the southwestern point of the town. He gave a hated growl at their arrival.

"Take everything you can and kill them when they come close. Got it?" said Mora. The others grunted.

While this was happening, Boyd, Rolf, Gatrie and Mist were forming a plan.

"Okay, the bandits here aren't that tough, but we can't get reckless," said Gatrie. "Our goal is to rout the enemy and retake that building the leader is standing on."

"Don't worry! Leave everything to me!" said Boyd.

"Okay, move out!" said Gatrie.

The mercenaries spread out and ran into the battlefield. Boyd had charged at a bandit and swung at him, easily cutting the marauder down and any that came near him. Mist stayed near her husband, cutting down ones as she rode along on her mount. Gatrie moved a little slowly due to his armor, but was able to take down many bandits who picked a fight with him. Rolf stood behind Gatrie, shooting down the ones that were farther away. The fight continued until all that remained was the leader, who was standing in front of the main building.

"Surrender now!" said Gatrie, planting his lance down on the ground for dramatic effect. It did not work.

"Never!" yelled Mora, the bandit leader. "I'd rather die of disease than lose to sellswords like you!" The leader charged at Gatrie madly, swinging his axe recklessly. Gatrie just stepped back and skewered the bandit with his lance.

"N-no . . . I . . . can't . . . die . . . ," coughed the leader before he fell on the floor dead. Shortly, an old citizen came out from the building the bandit commander was guarding.

"Splendid job as ever!" said the old man. "I would expect no less from the famed Greil Mercenaries."

"Always here to lend a helping hand," said Gatrie.

"That's right," said Rolf.

"Okay, here's your payment," said the man handing them a sack filled with gold. "Twenty thousand gold!"

"Twenty thousand?" said Boyd shocked.

"But all we did was run out some bandits," said Mist. "Twenty thousand is far too much just for doing that!"

"Nonsense! Everyone needs money to afford essentials, and in times like these, you need every piece you can get," said the old man. "Here, take it. As a gift."

"Thank you," said Gatrie. He accepted the man's gold began walking back to their headquarters. The other three mercenaries followed behind him.

-.-.-.-.-

"We're home!" announced Gatrie cheerfully as he walked through the door. The four mercenaries that were inside turned to see the blue-armored marshal and the other three members behind him.

"Good, you're back," said Titania. "Was it a success?"

"Is it ever not a success?" said Boyd happily. "We won, and got paid sweetly!"

"Yeah, we got paid well, too. Fifteen thousand to be exact!" said Mia in the same happy mood as Boyd.

"We need all the gold we can get," said Titania. "Times are getting harder and money is tight around here. Still, I wonder why they paid so much."

"Who cares? The point is we got paid, and no one got hurt," said Shinon. "I'm going to the bar. You coming, Gatrie?"

"Be right there!" said Gatrie. Both he and Shinon exited the mercenary fort and went to the bar. The remaining members shook their head at their antics.

"I swear, those two go too quickly through their earnings," said Titania. "I'm starting to think I should cut back their pay until they stop."

"That would be wise," said Rhys. "It would allow us to afford more supplies. It cost me 1300 gold to pay for a heal staff. Times really are getting hard around here."

"Don't worry, Rhys," said Mia, wrapping an arm around one of Rhys'. "Everything will get better. And even if it doesn't, you don't have to worry, 'cause I'm here!" Mia then planted a kiss on Rhys' cheek, causing the saint to blush and drop his staff. The other mercenaries chuckled at their display of affection.

"Come on, Rhys! Let's spar!" said Mia energetically. "All that fighting bandits got my adrenaline pumping! Let's go!"

"Mia, wai-" But Rhys was cut off when Mia began dragging him outside by his arm. The other mercenaries laughed even harder.

"Those two never change," said Rolf. "By the way, Boyd, shouldn't we be getting our dinner for tonight?"

"Ah! That's right!" said Boyd. "Sorry guys, but Rolf and I have to hunt some game. See ya!" And with that, Boyd and Rolf were gone into the woods. All that remained were Titania and Mist.

"My, we've come a long way, haven't we, Mist?" said Titania.

"I guess we have . . ." said Mist. Titania noted the sadness in Mist's tone as she answered. She already guessed why she was like that.

"You're thinking about Ike again," said Titania. Mist did not reply, but instead, threw herself against Titania and hugged her. The mercenary commander returned her embrace, and felt small tears soaking her clothing.

"Why, Titania?" sobbed Mist. "Why did he leave?" Titania patted Mist on the head and tried to comfort her. She did not answer for a couple; all that was on her mind was making Mist's sadness go away.

"I'm not sure," she finally replied. "But I have no doubt that he's safe."

"And what if he's not?" cried Mist. "He just left, and he didn't even say goodbye! He said he wouldn't leave me alone!"

Mist's sobs became louder, and soon started to soak up much of Titania's shirt. The commander embraced Mist more tightly and began to rub her brown hair gently. Although it was not a good attempt at comforting her, she had to try somehow.

"Listen, Mist, I know you miss him," said Titania. "We all do, even Shinon to an extent. But even though things change, we must always stick together. Remember, we are a family. We will always be there for one another."

Mist started to calm down and her tears began to dry up. She let go of Titania, the commander doing the same for her. Mist wiped away any stray tears and regained her composure.

"You're right," said Mist. "We have to keep going. Even with our small numbers, we're still a family." Titania smiled at her response, happy that she got through to her.

Shortly, the door to their camp opened, and in entered Rolf and Boyd carrying their dinner: a wild deer and a basket filled with fresh water fish. Behind them were Mia and Rhys, the latter looking rather exhausted and the former looking as energetic as ever. Finally, behind them were Shinon and Gatrie. Gatrie was a bit tipsy, but still very sober. Shinon, on the other hand, was completely intoxicated, and started stumbling around the fort slurring incoherent phrases (which were probably curse words the mercenaries did not even bother trying to translate).

Mist looked at the scene before her: Titania, Rolf and Gatrie were trying to stop a drunken Shinon from walking into any walls while Mia was trying to drag Rhys out of the door so they could spar again (the saint holding on to the door with strength the trueblade did not know he had in him). Softly, she laughed at their antics and smiled, her sadness lifted. Her family might be somewhat dysfunctional, but they she knew that they would always be by her side.

"Stupid, aren't they?" said Boyd, who was standing behind his wife. He wrapped her arms around Mist's shoulders and gently set his head next to hers. "Makes me wonder how we survived with them."

Mist extended an arm out and passed a hand through Boyd's messy green hair. She then wrapped both arms around his strong neck and kissed him on the mouth once again.

"Boyd, thank you," said Mist.

"For what?"

". . . For everything."

-.-.-.-.-

The day passed quickly for the mercenaries. Titania, Rolf and Gatrie managed to get Shinon into his bed so he could sleep off the alcohol. The only problem was that before they did, Shinon left a large puddle of vomit in the hallway, which also stained Rolf's clothing since he was in front of his mentor at the time. Mist gladly volunteered to clean the floor, but Rhys decided to do the task (anything to get out of sparring with Mia), while Boyd volunteered to wash Rolf's clothes and give Mist some time off; they never smelled the same way again.

Sooner than later, nightfall came across Tellius. The mercenaries were preparing for their dinner. Rolf, Gatrie, Boyd and Mia were setting up the table while Titania, Rhys, and Mist were preparing the food. Shinon was still sleeping off the alcohol, so he did not contribute at all. The mercenaries were conversing with one another when they heard a knock on their door.

"I'll get it," said Mist. The valkyrie left her kitchen duty and answered the door. Immediately, her face lit up in excitement.

"Oscar! Ranulf!" she screamed with joy. Her scream traveled throughout the fort and everyone traveled near the door.

"Brother!" said Rolf as he ran over and gave Oscar a tight hug. It had been a long time since he and the mercenaries have seen Oscar ever since he rejoined the royal knights. It meant a lot to them. The silver knight returned his embrace, and was surprised at the marksman's firm hold.

"My, Rolf, you've gotten stronger," Oscar commented. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks!" piped Rolf.

"Hey, what about me?" said Ranulf, feigning sadness. "Don't tell me you forgot who I am."

"Ranulf. It's good to see you," said Titania. "Please, won't you join us for dinner?"

"Yeah, Oscar can cook!" said Boyd. "Make us something special before Mist's cooking makes it suck!" This earned him a flurry of punches to his head.

"MY COOKING DOESN'T SUCK!" she yelled as she continuously hit Boyd.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Oscar gave a heartfelt smile. However, it quickly disappeared.

"I would love to make dinner, but I have urgent news to tell you," said the silver knight.

"Please, go inside. We'll discuss it there," said Titania.

Both Oscar and Ranulf entered the mercenary base. Some were bewildered at Oscar's change in tone. Usually, he was always laid back, but now he seemed a bit nervous, terrified even. Ranulf, too, was in a similar state as the silver knight.

"Okay, what is it that you have to tell us?" asked Titania.

"First off, where is Shinon?" asked Oscar. "He needs to hear this too."

"I'm right here," said Shinon as he walked down the hallway and into the meeting room. He looked a lot healthier than he did before, and did not have a hangover as some everyone would have expected. "So, what's the news?"

"I'll go first," said Ranulf. "There was a senate hearing not long ago in Begnion. They talked about approving laws for laguz rights."

"Ah, I see," said Titania. "And how did that go?" Ranulf did not answer, but his fists clenched. After some seconds, he finally spoke.

"Terrible. They struck down our proposals," he said grimly.

"What?" yelled Titania in disbelief. "But, why?"

"Before you pass judgment, Sanaki did not reject it. It was all the senate's doing," explained Ranulf.

"So, the senate has moved against Sanaki again, eh?" said Shinon. "Just great."

"But what can we do?" asked Mia.

"At the moment nothing," said Ranulf. "But I recently spoke with Bastian. He said that he suspects someone is trying to manipulate Begnion and try to usurp the empress. And he doesn't think that it's the senate. It's all just speculation, but we'll try our best to get to the bottom of this."

The mercenaries all had contemplative looks on their countenances. They were thinking about how they would be able to assist Sanaki, but politics were not their strong point. However, they were ready to help her in case things got a bit . . . bloody.

"Well, that ends my part," said Ranulf.

"Thank you," said Oscar. "Now, I have news to report from Crimea. Elincia wants to enlist the help of the Greil Mercenaries."

The people inside snapped out of their thoughts and focused on Oscar. They were grateful that Elincia wanted to hire them, but what for? Moreover, why did she need their help when she had the Crimean Royal Knights? It was confusing for the most part.

"What for?" asked Titania. Oscar gave a low sigh of nervousness. Then, he announced the news.

"It's Ludveck," he started. "He's escaped from prison!"


	6. Chapter 5: Flames of Revolt

_**Tellius-649**_

_**Seven months ago, a great war erupted between the laguz and the Begnion Empire. The fighting was merciless, and as a result, awakened a dark god from its slumber.**_

_**The goddess Ashera had risen from her sleep and turned all of Tellius into stone. However, a select few who had resisted her judgment fought her, and brought peace once again to their war-torn continent.**_

_**The people of Tellius have fought tirelessly, and should be rejoicing in their hard-earned peace. But that is not the case. **_

_**Instead of joy and prosperity, the countries face dire political and economic problems, leaving the people to blame their leaders for all of their woes. What's more, many people have not come to accept the laguz, and continue to harbor hatred of their presence.**_

_**The country of Crimea, however, feels the impact much heavier than that of its other countries.**_

_**The citizens of Crimea still have not come to accept their ruler, Queen Elincia. They approach the capital's steps, attempting to overthrow and rid her from the world. Their fighting, however, is quelled by the Royal Knights, but that only adds to their hatred.**_

_**However, there is a problem much worse than that of the people's rage.**_

_**Elincia has received news that Duke Ludveck has escaped from prison.**_

_**Before the war, Ludveck, duke of Felirae, had planned a rebellion against Queen Elincia. However, his attempts were quashed by the Royal Knights and the Greil Mercenaries. For his defiance and treason to the country, Ludveck was stripped of his titles and imprisoned. Queen Elincia, however, was lenient, and the former duke was given a sentence for life in prison instead of death.**_

_**The news of his escape spreads across Crimea like wildfire. This act sends waves of unease among Crimea's citizenry, but also hope in the eyes of many.**_

* * *

Chapter 5: Flames of Revolt

The man walked along the countryside, looking around the village that he was passing through. He was a bit aged, but still looked young. He wore very light tan pants with brown boots, a yellow-green battle shirt, and spiked shoulder guards. He had shoulder length wavy brown hair, light blue eyes, and a mustached beard.

The man continued to walk through the town, only stopping by to say hello to the people there or to stock up on some supplies. But then there was something else that caught his attention.

Somewhere, in an isolated part of the village, there was what seemed to be a social gathering. Many of the people were men, with a few women thrown into the melting pot. The man went on to investigate and approximated that there were about 35 people.

From the crowd, the man could see someone standing on a higher elevation, as if he were about to give a speech. The person wore a brown robe over his body, covering any other apparel on him. He had short brown hair and light teal eyes. But what struck the man the most was that he held a Dark tome under his right arm. It was very rare to see someone who had mastered the black magic, and assumed that he knew so very well.

The man standing above the crowd began his speech.

"Citizens of Crimea," he started, "I want to address an issue that has been going on for the last three years. It is something that we have been fighting for. We have tried diplomacy, and even brute force. But all of our efforts have been wasted, our voices silenced by the wind.

"Crimean citizens, I am talking about the ruler of this land: Queen Elincia!"

The citizens looked around bewildered at what the man was getting at. They really did not have anything against the Crimean noble. She was kind-hearted and a good leader. Why would someone speak against her?

"Excuse me, but what did the queen do?" asked a citizen to the man.

"Yeah, she's a nice lady," said another. The speaker looked at the crowd, annoyed that he was losing their interest.

'_Reza is better suited at this,'_ he thought. Nonetheless, he continued proceeded to continue speaking.

"Don't be fooled," he started. "The queen you see sitting on the throne is deceiving you all! She might show a pleasant face, but in reality, she's a snake poisoning the very waters we drink."

The crowd's attention now turned from confused and bewildered to a state of interest. Some, however, were skeptical at all of the speaker's accusations and slander, and began to walk away. The speaker, seeing that he was losing his audience, made another announcement.

"If you refuse to believe me, hear this," he said. "Recently, the senators of all the countries held a meeting. It concerns our equality and support we share with the laguz."

The crowd's attention changed once again. Now all of them, even the skeptics, were lending their ears to him. The eavesdropping man stood behind a building and watched what was happening in disgust. However, he knew that the people would make the right decision in the end. At least, he hoped he would. He continued to listen when the sage spoke once again.

"Yes, they talked, and we the people of Crimea want nothing more than to heal the wounds of the laguz," he announced. "We sweated, worked, even died to realize this dream. Our efforts were taken to the nobles for a decision. And do you know what happened?"

He stopped talking and took a brief pause; there was nothing but a short moment of silence until he spoke again.

"They destroyed it!"

The announcement sent the crowd into shock and confusion. Even the eavesdropping man was taken aback at the harsh truth. But there was something odd. Queen Elincia, and the other rulers for that matter, would never strike down something that important. The statement was strange, but he would question that later.

The man moved a little closer to better hear the crowd, but not so much that he would be caught spying. The speaker began to talk again.

"That's right. The queen, the very epitome of honor and nobility, has ignored the will of the people. She did not give her approval, and worked with all the other beorc nations to stop our advances for equality! Tell me, are we going to stand for this? Are we going to let our voices continue to go unheard?"

"NO!" shouted the crowd, including the skeptics. The speaker's countenance now had large grin. He spoke for the final time.

"Then join me. Help me free our motherland from this monstrosity! We have tried diplomacy. We gave the queen her chance to atone for her unforgiveable acts, but she willingly ignores us! We must take arms, my friends! We must make our voices heard!"

The crowd now began cheering when the sage was finished. The man eavesdropping was in complete disbelief. The people gathering did not have anything against Elincia, but now they wanted her dead. It tore at his heart how easily manipulated they were, and took pity on them for believing such heinous lies.

The man was about to rush into the crowd, but then saw the sage materialize a staff. The magenta gem on the top began to glow, and in an instant, the sage and the crowd were gone.

-.-.-.-.-

The farming hamlet of Ohma was very simple and straightforward. The village consisted of many small houses, but were not complicated or complex. Their farmland was lively and serene, a bright counterpoint to that of many noble areas, which made up for their fairly empty finances.

And old man walked over to one of the houses, where a somewhat portly younger man was working. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, and wore a simple white sleeveless shirt, grey pants, and brown boots.

"Mornin', Brom," said the senior citizen.

"Good mornin', Jacob," Brom greeted back.

"My, it's lookin' like a good harvest this year 'round," said Jacob looking at the crops. "Musta worked real hard for that to happen, eh?"

"It really is a good crop, but I didn't do it alone," said Brom. "I just do the grunt work. The sun 'n soil do the rest."

Brom was enjoying the nice spring sun. There was a time where he fought, and was very good when it came to wielding axes. However, those times were over. The former marshal did not want to fight anymore. The only reason he used his axes was for harvest and firewood. He abhorred fighting, and now was content at the peace that has long eluded Tellius for the past three years.

Brom was just about to further enjoy the rising sun until he saw a woman run over to him. For some reason, she had some battle armor on.

"Nephenee, it's good to see you," he greeted. He had not seen her ever since she decided to move to Melior, where she could further serve the Queen Elincia. "But, why're you wearin' your armor. The war is over."

"I wouldn't say that," said Nephenee. "I reckon you be getting your old armor back."

"But, why?" he asked.

"Another revolution is brewin'," she said.

"What?" Just then, the very peace Brom had known was shattered in an instant. "But how? Why?"

"I'm just as curious as you are, but worry 'bout that later," said Nephenee. "Get suited up. Meg's already at the rallying site."

With that said, Nephenee ran off. Brom was left there, terrified and crushed by the sudden turn of events. Another rebellion was forming, and not even a year passed after the last war. He swore that he would never pick up another weapon again, but that was about to become broken.

Brom came to his senses and walked to his home to prepare for battle.

-.-.-.-.-

Nephenee arrived at a distant part of the village near a stairwell. There was a marshal in wearing orange armor looking up above the stairs. The person saw a small crowd of about 20 people gathering around. In front of the crowd was a man wearing a light blue robe over his body. He had dark black hair, brown eyes, and a shadowed beard. Underneath his arms was tome, giving off that he was a sage.

Both Nephenee and the orange-armored marshal, Meg, listened in as they waited for Brom to arrive.

"Citizens of Crimea, we have a dire situation that must be taken care of," said the sage. "It deals with our ruler, Queen Elincia!

"We fought the war! We won our peace and freedom! And what do we get? We get nothing but a pat on the back! We risked our lives for Tellius, and this is how she repays us?

"Tell me, what did she do to warrant our respect? She hardly fought, but still retains power over us. Not only that, but she is one of Tellius' greatest hypocrites! She says that she wants equality for all nations, but in reality, she only seeks to fill her own pockets.

"If you don't believe me, then hear this. The senators for all the nations recently discussed a treaty, granting that all laguz be given equal rights as us beorc. We have worked hard for that dream, and the senators toiled for hours to make sure that it was passed, no matter what.

"But that was over. Their work was for nothing! The empress of Begnion said that it won't become law! Not only that, but the queen of Daein and our ruler didn't even give their approvals for the treaty! All three of them have been scheming, putting on a façade, waiting us to fall into a sense of comfort, and then turning against us, blaming us for the countries failures and miseries! Are we going to take that type of treatment?"

"No!" shouted everyone in the crowd.

"Who's to blame for all this?"

"The queen!"

"That's right! We must fight and carry out the will of the goddess Ashera! It was she who wanted equality, but that "hero" Ike destroyed that as well! But we have another chance. We have another opportunity to fulfill that role. The goddess has given the people one more try to carry out her will. Let us not fail her! To arms, brothers!"

The crowd cheered again and gathered weapons the sage provided for them. Nearby, Nephenee and Meg cringed at the sight of what was happening. They thought that the fighting was over, and no one wanted to fight again at all. Why was it all happening again?

The two of them heard large metal footsteps and turned to see Brom finally approaching, wearing his battle armor like he did in the war.

"Oof! I say, this armor got a lot heavier," said Brom.

"Worry 'bout that later," said Nephenee. "Right now, we gotta stop the people. Did you bring any weapons?"

"Yeah. Got an iron axe here," replied Brom, taking out a small axe and a metal shield off of his back.

"Good. Meg, take this iron sword," said Nephenee.

"Okay," said the young marshal nervously. Meg took the iron sword from the sentinel and removed a shield that was on her back as well. Unlike in the war, this shield was made of metal instead of wood.

The three walked to the gathering crowd, which interrupted the sage from something that seemed important. The crowd turned their attention to the three new arrivals.

"Hey, it's Nephenee, Brom, and Meg!" said one of the people. "You all here to join the revolution?"

"Yeah, join us!" said another person. "Together, we can make a difference!"

There was a short second of silence, until Nephenee snapped.

"Are you all insane?" she yelled. "We just got back from war, now you wanna fight again?"

"She's right," started Brom. "Remember the last rebellion, or better yet, the war on Tellius? A lot of people died in there to bring peace to our land."

"That's right," said Meg. "We shouldn't be fighting. The queen is a good person. We know her personally."

The sage's eyes widened at the female marshal's statement, but were soon narrowed down into a look of rage. His countenance changed to distraught that someone would dare interfere with his plans. But then he thought of something, and his visage's expression turned from enraged to a scheming smile.

"Brothers, do not be fooled by them," said the sage. "They are working for the queen, spying on us so that we don't achieve our goals! We must not let them report this to the queen! Silence them!"

"Wait, that's not-"

"No use, Meg," said Nephenee. "These guys already decided what they wanna do."

"But, we can't," said Meg.

"We ain't got a choice," said Nephenee. "Get ready you three."

"Oh dear," said Brom. "Let's try to keep as many alive, okay?"

"If we're lucky, we won't have to kill any," said Nephenee. "Y'all cover me, got it?"

The crowd began charging at the three. Immediately, Meg and Brom formed a blockade against the stairs to prevent the skirmish from affecting the nearby houses. One of the citizens slashed at Meg, but the young marshal blocked it with her shield and gave the inexperienced soldier a quick hit across his head with the flat of her sword. She did so only to knock out the fighter rather than killing or injuring them badly.

Next to Meg, Brom was defending himself against a fighter and a myrmidon, both very unskilled. He blocked their attacks and swung his axe deep into their shoulders, disarming both but keeping them alive. Nephenee was in the back behind the two, throwing javelins at the incoming soldiers. Like Meg and Brom, she made sure that she did not kill anyone, only slightly wound them.

The sage watched in complete disgust at the battle scene. Twenty people all took arms, yet they were being brought down by only three people. It enraged him to no end at the pathetic display the citizens were showing. He began to look around, hoping to find something to give him the advantage, but found nothing, further adding to his anger. Then he saw someone come out of one of the houses.

"What in blazes is goin' on out here?" said the woman looking around.

Then, a small grin spread across the sage's face. He took out a Fire tome and flipped through the pages. He began chanting, and instantly a small red ball of fire materialized in his hands. He took aim . . . and shot it at the local villager.

The female villager saw the flame approaching her and screamed. She tried to run back inside her house, but tripped. She lied on the ground defenseless and closed her eyes, waiting for the flame to burn her.

But then she felt something push her, and the burning never came. The woman opened her eyes and found that she was even further away from her home. She looked up and saw Nephenee in front of the flame's path. The sentinel tried to block it, but it made contact with her right thigh, causing her to scream.

"You . . . filthy . . . coward!" Nephenee spat at the sage. She stumbled, but managed to stand on both legs. The fire did some serious damage, and it was only of the lowest level. She deduced that he was powerful if he could do that much damage from a low-leveled spell.

Nephenee was about to rejoin Meg and Brom, but something disrupted her. She looked up and saw the sage jump over the wall, landing on his feet. He rose up and faced Nephenee.

"Heh, you're more resistant," he said mockingly, eyeing the burn he gave her. "But not as resistant as I thought you were." He took out a tome and began to skim through the pages. Nephenee took a battle stance, her javelin ready to throw.

"Get inside!" she yelled at the villager. The woman did not question the sentinel and ran inside her home. The sage began chanting and fired another shot of fire at Nephenee. This time, however, she was ready and blocked the sage's attack. She countered his attack by throwing a javelin, but the sage jumped out of the way, landing on his feet once again.

"Scratch what I said. You're better than I thought you'd be," said the sage. "But regardless, you won't win."

"That's what you think," growled Nephenee. "This ain't my first fight, and it won't be my last!"

"Is that a challenge? Fine, I accept." The sage switched weapons, trading his Fire tome for an Elwind tome. "If you thought my fire was dangerous, you should see my wind magic."

The sage flipped through the pages and began chanting. Nephenee quickly rushed over to him, trying to get close enough so that he would not have time to attack. She was close to him, but he was faster than she thought. The sage thrust his right hand and out of nowhere, blades of green wind began making their way toward Nephenee. The sentinel successfully blocked the attack, however, and he was left there defenseless.

"Not that good, boy," said Nephenee coyly.

"Don't get too cocky, wench," he spat back. The sage maneuvered his arm, and instantly, the blades that were deflected by Nephenee came towards her again. This time, however, they made contact, and dealt more damage to her than his fire spell. Nephenee gave out a scream and knelt down on one knee, spitting out a small amount of blood.

"Nephenee!" shouted Meg turning to face Nephenee.

"Don't worry about me!" the sentinel shouted.

"And don't avert your attention!"

Nephenee quickly turned to the sage when he spoke, but was immediately pelted by another round of wind blades, cutting her body even further. But she held strong, though; she was not about to give up yet. However, it was getting more difficult to stand. Her vision was blurry, and her legs would not stop wobbling.

"My, you look terrible," said the sage, his Elwind tome still in his hands. He thrust his arm at her once again, sending another three wind blades at the weakened sentinel. Nephenee managed to block the attack, but was knocked down when they came back to her.

The sentinel was sent flying back a few feet, landing on her frontal side as she did. She was about to get back up, but was knocked down by another barrage of wind that sliced her back. The sage walked up to her, a smile on his countenance.

"I'm sorry, what did you say about this not being your last fight?" insulted the sage. "You disappoint me. I know it's not important, but at least you should know my name. It's Reza, and that will be the name you take to your grave!"

The sage formed a ball of fire in his hands, preparing to burn Nephenee where she lied. However, he was distracted, not noticing the other two fighters behind him. Suddenly, he looked back and saw Brom rush over to him with his axe ready.

Reza immediately jumped out of the way, avoiding a blow that would have taken his arm off. He saw Meg joining up with him.

"What is this? How can you two . . ." he said, but quickly silenced himself. "Wait . . . ." He looked over near the stairwell and saw that all twenty soldiers were either knock out or slightly wounded, but none of them were killed. Reza's anger boiled over and faced the three.

"You will die here!" he yelled. The sage shot blasts of wind followed by fire, combining to make flaming wind blades. Brom, however, blocked them with his shield, even when they were sent back to him.

"Meg, get Nephenee out of here and get to the queen," he instructed to his daughter.

"But, what about-"

"Don't worry about me. I'll hold him here. You have to warn Elincia. Now, go!"

Meg did what she was told, but was still worried. However, she did not question him any further. The marshal picked up a severely wounded Nephenee and gently placed her across her shoulders. Then, with all her speed, she sped off toward Melior.

"Oh no, you're not leaving," spat Reza. He shot a blast of fire towards Meg, but Brom got in front and blocked the attack.

"You're not going after them," he said to Reza. The sage was about to attack again, but suddenly stopped.

"My, my, what have we here?" said another voice. Suddenly, an intricate magic circle appeared on the ground. In an instant, another person appeared. He, too, was male. He had teal eyes, short brown hair, and wore a brown robe. Like Reza, the man was a sage, but was seen with a Dark tome instead.

"I'm wondering why you're taking so long," said the second person rather calmly. "Don't tell me you've failed. My, how my teacher has fallen."

"I'm sorry, sir," said Reza to the second man. "I was about to come back, but I was stopped by three people. Two managed to escape."

"Well, that's unfortunate," said the arch sage nonchalantly. "I guess we'll be a bit short."

"Hey, who are you?" said Brom. The arch sage turned to face the marshal.

"Is he one of them?" the arch sage asked Reza, to which the former nodded. "Interesting. I'm starting to think that this might not be much of a failure."

"How so?" said Reza a tad confused. The arch sage took out a staff with a green gem on top and began chanting. Brom saw a strange light surround him and saw some small stars of light fall on him.

"Wait, this is-!" But he did not get much further and fell asleep, dropping his axe. The arch sage made his way to the wounded citizens and did the same procedure as he did with Brom. The crow shortly fell asleep as well.

"Take him and everyone else back. I'll worry about their injuries later," said the arch sage.

"Yes, sir," said Reza. He took out a Rewarp staff and dragged Brom over to the crowd with his other hand. He chanted, and instantly, he, the arch sage, and the crowd were gone.

-.-.-.-.-

Elincia and Lucia were quite surprised to see Meg coming close to Melior. The two rushed out to meet the young marshal, but were immediately quieted and mortified to see a wounded Nephenee on her shoulders.

The queen and her loyal friend escorted Meg inside the castle, and placed Nephenee inside one of the emergency rooms. After making sure that the sentinel's serious and life-threatening wounds were healed, they asked Meg what happened, asking her to provide as much detail.

The marshal told the queen and her advisor everything that happened in Ohma. She told them of how Reza tried to start another rebellion, and how Nephenee was injured. This news sent Elincia into a stage of shock and horror. However, she remained calm.

"I see . . ." said Elincia. "And what of Brom?"

"He stayed behind to deal with that sage," answered Meg. "I hope he's all right." The marshal became sad and was about to cry, but Geoffrey, who was also inside the room, comforted her.

"There, there, don't cry," said the king of Crimea. "I'm sure he's doing fine. We'll make sure of it."

"O . . . Okay," said Meg, wiping away a stray tear.

"This is terrible," said Lucia. "That makes two riots today."

"Two?" said Meg confused. "But, where did the other one come from."

"The other one came from the town of Azalea," answered Lucia. "We've received a report about a similar happening as well. However, he said that there was no fighting."

"No, but I did try to stop them. I just wasn't fast enough," said an unknown voice. The four people turned around and saw a tall man standing in front of the door.

"Nolan!" said Meg happily.

"Hello, Meg. It's good to see you again," said Nolan to the girl. However, his look became serious shortly after. "But what I said is true. I was just roaming around the Crimean countryside when I saw a gathering. They said something about planning another rebellion, trying to overthrow the queen. I didn't get involved because I thought that they would disagree with the instigator, but I was wrong. Please, I'm sorry.

"It's all right," said Lucia. "In fact, it was actually a good thing you decided not to get involved. If you did and you ended up getting hurt, we might not have known about any of this. Please, dismiss your guilt from your mind."

"All right, then," said Nolan. "Should I tell Micaiah about this? Maybe she would lend you some soldiers to aid you."

"No, that will not be necessary," said Elincia. "We don't want other countries getting involved with Crimea's affairs. In fact, I think you should go back to Daein."

"She's right," said Geoffrey. "If the rebel army sees a Daein soldier fighting, they might also attack Daein as well. We can't have that happening."

"Very well," said Nolan. "Then I guess I'll be off."

"Actually, why don't we have one of the pegasus knights fly you over there," said Lucia. "It will get you there faster."

"That would be great, thank you," said Nolan. The reaver exited the room and made his way over to the stables for his escort, leaving the remaining four inside to their thoughts.

" . . . So, it's started again," said Elincia. "Why? Why do my people fight against each other?"

"Don't worry, Elincia," said Geoffrey. "We'll do all we can to quell this before it gets out of hand. You're not alone in all of this." Elincia gave a small smile to her husband.

"Thank you," said Elincia.

The queen felt content on the outside, but internally, she was hurting. Civil war had come to Crimea once again, and it would not be as easy to stop this time around. She was lucky last time, but she was beginning to think that her luck was starting to run out.

But she could not think like that. Elincia had to be strong, regardless of the circumstances. But how much she could handle was starting to wear thin. Hopefully, she could end this uprising as quickly as possible.


	7. Chapter 6: Forbidden Revival

Chapter 6: Forbidden Revival

Three figures stood near the doorway of a room, staring at a sleeping figure in the bed as it slept. The first figure was a male in black armor; the second was an arch sage wearing a light blue robe; the third and final figure was an arch sage wearing a brown robe. All three of these figures were male.

"How long before he awakens?" said the marshal.

"Patience, Jeremiah," said the arch sage in black. "Sleep takes time to wear off. Though I must admit, he has been sleeping rather long."

"I swear, sir, sometimes you don't know how powerful your magic is," said the arch sage in blue. "Remember what I taught you? It is sometimes necessary to not use your full abilities. Apparently, that flew right over your head."

"You're right. Forgive me, Reza. I have been a terrible student," said the arch sage.

"No need for modesty," said Reza to his friend and student. "As long as the objective is complete, we don't have to worry. And may I add, completely off topic, that this is the first time that I have seen you wear a different color robe other than black."

"My attire was stained with blood. Do you think people will listen to me if I talked to them looking like I massacred someone?" he commented back. "Besides, brown makes me look more like a . . . clergyman."

"I see . . ."

"Enough small talk, you two. What do we do until he wakes up?" said Jeremiah.

"Lets' see . . . ," said the arch sage. "Well, if we want to get this thing started, we should probably recruit more people. It will make this so much easier."

"Very well," said the marshal. "I'll stay here in case our friend wakes up. Besides, you two are better at manipulating the peoples' hearts than I am."

"Why, thank you. We're flattered," said Reza. "But before we go, why don't we go over the plan one more time."

"Yes, lets," said the arch sage.

-.-.-.-.-

A small town in Nevassa had many of the common functions of almost every town in the countries of Tellius. There were children playing; moderate-sized stalls selling produce and accessories; and people talking amongst themselves and sharing anecdotes. True, their lifestyle was not that of any nobles, but they were mostly happy. Even the destitute were fairly happy despite their homelessness.

Micaiah walked down the small town, enjoying the simplicity and the serene atmosphere that surrounded her. She wished that her life would be this enjoyable, and wanted to badly go back. In fact, Micaiah wished that she would just abandon the queen role and go back to this lifestyle, where everything was simple and straightforward.

However, if she did, the nation would be without a ruler, and the people would suffer on her account all because "it was too hard". Micaiah could not abandon the people of Daein. They did, after all, stand by her throughout the hardships faced. Even if they were thrust into a pointless war, they stuck by her side, awaiting her wise words and actions.

However, that was in the past. Right now, in the way things were, Micaiah did not know if the people felt that way about her anymore.

The situation in Daein was terrible, to say lightly. The economy in the country, as well as almost the entire continent, had entered a recession, and was going from bad to worse with each passing second. To make matters worse, Micaiah had been told by Sothe that there is corruption within the senate, Begnion more specifically.

The silver-haired woman, however, was not surprised at the information at all. Even with new senators, they and her sister Sanaki were rarely in agreement with each other, and blended together like oil and water.

However, Micaiah was shocked and stunned at the information that the Begnion senators had overturned the decision to pass the laws made. She was told that any laws made at a national level needed the senate's "advice and consent", and would only be accepted if a majority of the senators approved. Since Begnion held that majority, there was very little to no chance of breaking their power, leaving Begnion to do whatever they wished politically.

Micaiah took a deep sigh before looking back at the town in front of her. It seemed that everything that she and the other rulers had been working towards was going down in flames. She thought that no matter what she did, it would only be made worse. Perhaps she was not cut out to be a queen.

Micaiah's thoughts became lost as she walked down the town. The silver-haired light priestess was so lost in thought that she did not notice someone shouting at her.

"Hey, Micaiah!" yelled a citizen; the silver-haired woman in question did not reply. "Micaiah!" it called out again, but still received no reply. The person ran closer to the girl until he was right near her ear. Then he shouted, at the top of his lungs, "MICAIAH!"

The light priestess jumped out of her skin (metaphorically) at the sudden cause of her temporary deafness. She quickly turned around to see who had shouted at her, and was pleased to see it was one of her best friends.

"Edward!"

"Hey, Micaiah! It's been a while," said Edward. After the war ended, the Daein trueblade decided to live among the common citizens of Nevassa, despite Micaiah's wishes of joining the military. He, however, always visited the queen regularly to bring good news.

Edward changed quite a bit during the last seven months following the war. The first and most notable change was that he had gotten much taller, and was about as high as Nolan. The second change was that his voice had gotten deeper, and he looked more muscular as well. However, despite his changing and more mature body, he still had the perspective of an 8-year-old child.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" asked the silver-haired queen.

"Well, I looked for you back at the castle, but Sothe told me that you went out," said Edward. "I kinda figured that you would be here."

"I see . . ."

"But enough about that. I just wanna know how things have been going," said Edward. "Nobles giving you a hard time, or are they just really, really lonely?"

"Oh, Edward. Don't say that," replied Micaiah.

"Why are you defending them when you know it's true?" said Edward cheerfully and with a smile on his countenance. Micaiah gave a small laugh at the trueblade's words. Even though she wanted to reprimand the man for his tactless and inappropriate comments, she could not. The two decided to walk around the town together.

"But Micaiah, seriously, how is everything?" asked Edward more seriously this time. The light priestess gave a depressed sigh, a saddened look on her countenance.

"Not that good," she replied. "Everything has been going wrong. I thought that . . . that maybe I could really make a difference. Perhaps I was wrong."

"What are you saying?" exclaimed Edward. "You've done plenty of things for the people of Daein. Everyone looks up to you for what you will do next. Sure, people are blaming you for a lot of things, but they're just mad at the way things are right now. Really, they know that solving our economic crisis will take time."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really. Now, stop sulking around like an emotional baby, and lift your head high!" said Edward happily. "Pretty soon, you'll be the prime example of what nobles aspire to become!"

Micaiah just lightly chuckled at her friend. "Okay, I guess I will," she said.

"You guess? That's not a confident answer!" said the trueblade in the same cheerful disposition. Micaiah could only laugh at Edward's antics as they continued to walk around the town.

After some time, the two of them walked back to Daein Keep, where Tauroneo was waiting for them. For some reason, he seemed a bit more panicked than usual.

"M-milady! Where have you been?" asked the marshal. "Someone is here to see you, and they've been waiting for you for over an hour!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!" said Micaiah. She quickly rushed over to the waiting room with Edward following behind her. She hastily entered the room, hoping that the person who was waiting for her would not be upset. "I hope they're not mad."

"Well, we're friends. Why would I be mad?" said a deep voice from within the waiting room. Micaiah looked up and saw who was talking. Immediately, her countenance completely lit up.

"Nolan!"

"Hello, Micaiah. It's been a while," said Nolan; next to him was Sothe.

"That it has," said Edward. "Last I heard, you were going around the continent. So, how is everything?"

"I'll get to that later. Right now, I have urgent news to report," said Nolan in a serious manner.

"Well, what is it?" asked Micaiah. The Daein reaver gave a long and heavy sigh, and then finally spoke again.

"I was in Crimea this past day . . ." he started.

"Oh, that's great!" said Edward. "So, how did it go? Did you talk to Elincia?"

"I'm afraid my time there was cut short," said Nolan grimly. "Crimea is facing a civil war right now."

"WHAT?" exclaimed both Edward and Micaiah. Sothe, however, did not seem that surprised or shocked over the sudden and dire turn of events.

"But, why?" said Micaiah.

"That's what we would like to know," said Sothe. "Nolan told me that he saw people rallying to overthrow the queen. He also told me that they had nothing against her."

"It's Begnion, isn't it?" yelled Edward enraged. "Those filthy dastards! I knew nothing good would come out of them! We got to go help!"

"No, Edward, that isn't it," said Nolan.

"But, Nolan!"

"First, it isn't Begnion," said Nolan. "If you had been listening to me, Edward, I said that it was a _civil _war. That means that the people are fighting amongst themselves."

"Does that matter? We have to help Elin-"

"And second, the queen has already said that she does not want help from Daein," interrupted Nolan.

"What? But, why?" questioned Edward.

"She probably doesn't want to involve Daein in Crimea's affairs," interjected Sothe. "If Daein were to get involved, then we could very well turn a civil war into a national war, and with the way things are right now, that's the last thing we want."

"But what about Elincia?" asked Micaiah. "I mean, there has to be some way we could help her without stepping on the battlefield. Maybe we could send her supplies."

"That would be wise and generous, but if we do, we might spark riots within our own country," said Nolan. "Our resources are very limited right now, and product manufacturing is at a standstill. If we were to supply Crimea, it would not pan out too well for the people of Daein. I'm sorry, but it looks like our hands are tied."

"I see . . ."

Micaiah held her head down in sadness. It had not been a year, and already war had come to them again. Was there any hope for peace on Tellius at all? Micaiah could only wonder.

-.-.-.-.-

Jeremiah watched over their "guest" as he waited for his two friends to return. They had been out for most of the day to continue their recruitment of soldiers. It was mid-afternoon, and their "guest" was _still_ fast asleep, and had been for over a day now. The countless hours watching the sleeping man was wearing thin on the marshal, but he was thankful that it was not him who was on the receiving end of his friend's sleep spell.

The marshal rose up from the chair that he had been sitting on, picking up a very large and heavy sword that rested on the back of it. Just as he was about to walk out the door, two figures walked in; it was Reza followed by his student.

"Ah, finally, you're back," said Jeremiah. "I was getting tired of watching this guy sleep all afternoon."

"You mean he still hasn't woken up yet?" asked Reza in disbelief. He turned over to his student, slight annoyance plastered over his countenance. "Okay, you really went overboard. Honestly, don't you pay attention to how much power you use?"

"I'm sorry," said Reza's student. "Look, I'll just use a restore staff and wake him up. That should do the trick."

"No need," said Jeremiah. "He's waking up right now."

The marshal and the two arch sages turned to their sleeping companion and did see that he was starting to awaken. The man's body moved slightly and his eyes slowly began opening. The man sat up from his bed and examined his surroundings.

"W-where am I?" he asked, tiredness still trailing his voice. He glanced around and immediately backed up against the bedpost. "It's you two," he said fearfully, pointing at the two magic users inside the room.

"Aw, you remember us," said the arch sage mockingly. Reza elbowed his student and mumbled something about being the wrong time for sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, please forgive my associates," said Jeremiah to the man. "It is an honor to meet you, Duke Ludveck."

Jeremiah knelt down on one knee and placed his sword down by his feet. The two arch sages followed suit, treating the duke of Felirae as if he were a god.

"What is the meaning of all of this?" Ludveck asked.

"We are sorry, but we needed to break you out of your cell the way we did," said Reza as he rose from his kneeling stance. "We needed someone who can help us with rebellion."

"Rebellion, you say?"

"Yes," said the arch sage as he rose up from his stance as well. "Crimea is in a terrible state after you were sent to prison. Queen Elincia is still a terrible ruler, unable to make crucial decisions decisively, especially in this time of need."

"We have been planning to overpower the queen for quite some time," started Jeremiah. "However, we cannot move against her; the Royal Knights are still too powerful." At this point, he stood up from his kneeling position and joined his two comrades.

"We decided that in order to fight on equal terms with the knights, we need someone with experience," said Reza. "We needed someone who the people can listen to; someone they will fight under. We needed someone who shares a deep hatred for that emerald-haired wench as much as they."

"And so, that is why we came to you," said Reza's student. "You had everything that fits these qualifications. You had the queen in front of you, eating from the palm of your hand. She would have submitted herself to you had it not been for those filthy Greil Mercenaries."

"And that, my friend, is our reason," interjected Jeremiah. "That is why we broke you from your endless suffering. We want you to lead our rebellion. We want you to take what is rightfully yours. We want you to ascend the throne and lead our people to the change that they so rightfully deserve!

"I ask and beg at your feet. Will you join our cause? Without you, Crimea will forever be ruled in tyranny."

Ludveck continued to sit on the bed, not moving throughout the entire exchange of words. These people, who he barely knew, had risked their lives just to save him. They gambled all they had to make his ideals, and his alone, into reality. For that, Ludveck had given them his praise.

A smile graced the former noble's countenance as he stood up from his seated position. He moved slightly towards the marshal and his comrades. All three were anxious on the inside at the man's advance.

"Your name," said Ludveck.

"Ah, yes," said the marshal. "I am Jeremiah, leader of this rebellion. These are my two associates."

"I see," said Ludveck. "Well then, Jeremiah, allow me to respond to your calls. I am grateful that you three place such faith in my ideals. I am honored by you three, who have done so much already when the entire country decided to turn their back on us. Therefore, I will happily lead your rebellion."

"Excellent!" shouted Jeremiah in bliss. "This is wonderful! With you at our side, the queen will tremble in fear! But please, the people must see you. Come, you must address your loyal followers."

Jeremiah and Ludveck exited the room, leaving Reza and the arch sage alone.

"My, this is turning out rather nice, isn't it?" said Reza to his comrade and student.

"It sure is," said the arch sage. "Everything is right on track. It will only be a matter of time before Crimea is falls to our hands."

With that said, he and Reza exited the room as well, joining up with Jeremiah and Ludveck.

-.-.-.-.-

The mass of people were crowded together outside an isolated structure. From the height and the foundation, the building was a fort or a castle of some sort. The number of the people inside was vast, averaging at about 1,000, and still growing. Many of the citizens were mostly agricultural workers, but there were also a vast majority of well-trained soldiers.

The people continued to wait, conversing with one another to pass the time. Suddenly, they all heard footsteps atop the balcony above them. The people diverted their attention to the source and saw two armored figures walking out. One was a marshal in black armor, and the other was a general in white armor.

The marshal in black, Jeremiah, walked closer to the edge of the balcony and slammed his sword into the thin pavement, garnering the attention of all the people there. Once there was complete silence, the marshal spoke.

"Citizens of Crimea, please, lend me your ears," he started. "I present you with the leader of this army, Duke Ludveck! Please, show him your respect."

The marshal withdrew his sword from the ground and stepped off to the side, allowing Ludveck to walk in front. He stood right where Jeremiah was standing mere seconds ago. Shortly, he began his speech.

"Fellow citizens of Crimea, I thank you for joining," started Ludveck. "I am aware of why you all have come today. You all are upset at the queen and her unjust rule of the land. Am I right?"

The people gave a cheer and holler as a response. Ludveck could only smile.

"Well, fellow citizens, I stand for your cause," he continued. "I realized seven months ago the terrible tragedy that befell our land. I have tried to prevent this from happening, but failed in my advance.

"But you all have kept my hopes alive. As I lied in my cell, waiting for my execution, it was you all who spurred me forward. It was you who provided me with a reason to survive. For that, you have my eternal gratitude.

"However, I did not simply escape just so I can show my praise. I came here with the hope that we can make a difference. I came to help steer the country in the correct direction. I came here to ensure that Crimea gets the change we need. I ask you, will you join me in that cause? Will you fight with me to your last breath to ensure that that change will come?"

The response to Ludveck's question was overwhelming. The crowd exploded with cheers and hollers. Many of them hoisted their weapons in the air to further show their support for the former noble. The crowd's morale had exceeded to great heights after Ludveck's speech, and all were ready for anything.

"Long live Duke Ludveck!" cheered a citizen.

"Down with the queen!" cheered another citizen.

"Long live Crimea!"

The crowd continued to cheer for their leader, blind to the real intentions of the noble. While the crowd cheered, Reza and the arch sage entered the balcony. The two were spotted by Jeremiah, who took a brief leave from his spot and walked up to his comrades.

"My, you're awfully late," said Jeremiah. "You two just missed the duke's speech."

"Aw, that's too bad," said the arch sage sarcastically. "I really wanted to hear it. Perhaps I would be able to learn a thing or two about his manipulation style."

"Worry about that later," said Reza. "Right now, let's talk about our next plan of action. Is everything ready?"

The arch sage gave a small chuckle. "Why, yes it is," he replied.

-.-.-.-.-

Elincia walked down to the hospital wing of the castle with a heal staff in her hands. She was going to check on Nephenee's condition and to see if it was improving. Behind her was Lucia, who followed the queen wherever she went. The two got to the door of the hospital wing and entered Nephenee's room, where a doctor was treating any wounds that have not fully healed.

"How is she doing?" asked Elincia to the doctor.

"She is doing fine and making small improvements," replied the doctor. "However, she will not be able to fight for about another two days. Even if she does make a full recovery, she should still be off the battlefield for a while to not aggravate her body."

"I see. Thank you," said Elincia. "You may go."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said the doctor as he left the room. The queen and Lucia stayed behind, looking at Nephenee in a somewhat worried glance.

"I hope she feels well," said Elincia.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine," said Lucia. "What we should worry about now is how we are going to deal with this uprising. Do you have a plan of action when it occurs?"

"I do not," said the queen remorsefully. "I'm not sure what to do without knowing what the rebel faction will do. Last time was easier, but now . . ." The queen looked down at the floor defeated. "Now I don't know what I can do."

"Don't worry, Elincia," said Lucia. "I'll be here with you every step of the way. And remember, Geoffrey is here too. Not only him, but the rest of Crimea is by your side. Not everyone agrees with these rebels."

Elincia gave a soft smile at her friend's words. "Thank you, Lucia."

The emerald-haired queen left the hospital wing and went to the throne room, Lucia following behind her. When they arrived, they were greeted by Bastian and Geoffrey. The two had a despaired look on their countenances.

"Bastian, how went your research?" asked Lucia to the count.

"Ah, no luck," he said. "I have toiled countless hours over the books and tomes of the goddess' laws, hoping to find that one flaw in the senate. But I found nothing; the documentation is very secure. There is nothing our minds or our voices can do.

"But fear not! I will not stop until a solution is clear, for the power of the senate is clearly wrong. I must be off. Please, take care, my dear Lucia! My condolences to you, Your Majesty."

With that said, Bastian exited the throne room to continue his research. The political arch sage had been working hard to find a flaw in the senate's power in hopes that they would be able to strike it down, and although he did not find anything to help their cause, he did not give up.

Elincia turned to Geoffrey after Bastian left, a saddened look on her countenance. The silver knight walked over to his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "Everything will be fine. It will get better. I promise."

"And what if it doesn't?" asked Elincia. "I mean, we're on the brink of a civil war again. It seems things are getting worse."

"Don't say that," said Geoffrey. "I need you to be strong. True, things are not going well, but it will get better."

"Geoffrey . . ."

Lucia looked at the display of love in front of her and smiled. Her brother was always there by Elincia's side, and always had been. She wanted the happiness they shared, but her loyalty to the queen came first. The trueblade watched as Geoffrey embraced Elincia in his arms, comforting her in a time of need.

Just as everything was going well, someone entered the throne room. The three looked behind (Geoffrey releasing his wife as he did) and saw Oscar coming inside.

"Queen Elincia, I have returned," announced the silver knight.

"Oscar, it's good to see you," said Elincia. "Tell me, did you receive a reply from the Greil Mercenaries?"

"I have," he replied.

"And what is their response?"

Oscar smiled. "Well, why don't you ask them yourself?" The green-haired silver knight opened the doors, and in walked none other than the Greil Mercenaries. The queen's face, as well as Lucia's and Geoffrey's, were in complete shock and content as each of them entered the throne room.

"It's been a long time since we've seen each other, Your Majesty," said Titania.

"Titania, it is good to see you again," said Geoffrey. "Tell me, will you accept our offer?"

"I have talked with the others, and it seems that they all would like to help," said Titania. "Well, almost everyone."

"We're pretty sure we know who that person is," said Lucia, who glanced over at Shinon and glared at him. The marksman just dismissed her glare and turned away. "But regardless, it is good that you accepted."

"It was not a problem," said Titania. "We would never reject a friend in need."

"Thank you, Lady Titania," said Elincia calmly.

"Yeah, yeah, enough of the talking. When do I get to beat up some bad guys?" said Boyd hitting a fist to one of his hands.

"Boyd!" Mist yelled and hit him on the head with her staff, though it did not seem to hurt much. The rest of the mercenaries and Oscar just laughed at the reaver's hyper and somewhat stupid behavior.

Elincia, Lucia and Geoffrey laughed as well. It had been a long time since they saw each other, and they missed the energy they brought with them. The queen felt happy that she was able to see her companions, and right now, she felt as if it were a good time to see them.

The happiness continued until someone came in. The group saw a soldier heading up to them, terror written all over his countenance.

"Queen Elincia, I have disturbing news!" he said. "Duke Ludveck has come out of hiding and has announced his intentions against you! He's planning another rebellion!"

"WHAT?" said Geoffrey. "Again? So soon?"

"I guess that you came in the nick of time," said Lucia to Titania.

"We'll help in whatever way we can," said Titania.

"We first must discover where Ludveck is," said Elincia. "Until we know his first action, we'll notify you." She turned to the soldier who had announced the terrifying and disheartening information. "Will you please prepare rooms for our guests?"

"Certainly, your majesty," said the soldier. He exited the room with the Greil Mercenaries following behind him. After they left, Elincia turned to her husband, grief and despair returning to her.

"It's finally happened," said Elincia.

"Don't panic, Elincia," said Geoffrey. "I'll give the word to the knights. We'll end this rebellion before it can spread. Of course, I only will if it is all right with you."

"You have my approval," said Elincia.

As she finished, a hurt look made its way onto Elincia's countenance. Civil war had come to Crimea again, and far too soon. The nation was in shambles, and was only getting worse. She wondered whether or not she could succeed this time. After all, given Ludveck's cold and calculating manipulation, she had a right to be doubtful at her abilities.

The queen did not know if she could stave off another uprising. If she did, more people would die, and as a result, would anger the citizens even more. However, if she did nothing, the fate of Crimea would be in worse shape than it was in right at the moment. It seemed that no matter what move she made, Elincia would lose.

Elincia left the throne room, the thought of the upcoming battles plaguing her mind. It haunted her throughout the day, but there was almost nothing that she could do.


End file.
